The Right Partner
by Justasmalltowngirl2713
Summary: When Rebecca gets recruited by SHIELD to be the Director of the Medical Ward, what will happen when she meets the legendary Captain Steve Rogers? Steve/OC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Well hi guys! I saw Avengers for the first time this past weekend, and I must say, it was incredible. I've always been a huge fan of all the Marvel movies, and putting them all together just made for an amazing experience. I wanted to write this story because I'm in love with Steve Rogers, as I'm sure many of you are, and I wanted to write a story where he "found the right partner." This chapter has no Steve, I know, but you needed to get to know Rebecca first. Let me know what you all think!**

Rebecca Andrews was an exceptional woman. She was employed as one of the top surgeons in Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. She made a lavish income and lived in a luxury apartment just off Times Square itself. She had a PhD in Medicine and graduated at the top of her class. However, all of these things were hiding Rebecca Andrews' biggest secret.

Rebecca Andrews was no normal woman.

At the age of five, Rebecca had been playing outside on the driveway by herself when she tripped and scraped her knee. She fell to the ground and began to cry as her mother rushed out to help her. As Mrs. Andrews knelt beside her, Rebecca reached down and gently touched the skin where her blood was flowing out. Suddenly, the scrape healed over and the bleeding stopped. Rebecca's mom stared at her in shock, while Rebecca went back to playing as if nothing had happened.

As she continued to age, her ability progressed, too. At the age of ten, when her younger brother had fallen while ice-skating and broken his arm, she touched him, testing to see if she could heal other people as well. Not only was the arm completely healed, but she could also tell exactly what had been broken in the first place, as if her mind had taken an X-RAY.

Now, at the age of 27, Rebecca's abilities had become so advanced that she had to put effort into her job for it to go unnoticed. Ever since discovering her ability, she had dreamed of being able to use it to the advantage of society. As a surgeon, she could heal people who, under normal circumstances, would not have been able to survive. Yes, she went through the motions—used the correct medical tools, followed the correct procedures. As she was finishing, she would very gently let her fingertip skim across whatever organ was being operated on, just to ensure that it was entirely healed. It allowed her to use her ability without attracting too much attention. However, that all changed one warm, spring day as Rebecca was walking through Central Park.

**(A/N: just letting you know, the story will be in first person. I just wanted to do the introduction in third, so you could know what was going on without emotions evolved. Here I'll start telling the story from Rebecca's POV)**

Strolling on the tree-covered pathway, a smartly dressed man approached me, flanked on either side by massive bodyguards dressed in all black. "Dr. Andrews?" the man in the middle asked as he approached me.

I paused and looked over the man. He was short with balding hair, though he looked no older than forty. He had an easy smile upon his face, and looked friendly, but the huge men on either side of him did not. "Yes?" I replied, hesitantly.

"I'm Agent Coulson with SHIELD, or the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division," the man said, flashing a badge I didn't recognize.

"Just stick with SHIELD," I answered, getting a chuckle in response.

"That's the plan," Agent Coulson stated, still smiling. "We're here to request your presence at a conference taking place later this week."

"Oh, are you now? That's kind of you, but I'm really not interested-"I answered immediately, but the so-called agent smirked.

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice, Dr. Andrews," he replied immediately, taking me by surprise.

"And if I refuse?"

Agent Coulson gave a slight chuckle. "We'll persuade you."

"What the hell is all this about? Why do you want me?" My breathing had become heavy, and I clutched my bag a little tighter, unsure of what these strange men really wanted.

"We hope to be able to explain that to you at the conference. We at SHIELD…" Agent Coulson paused, searching for the correct words. "…we recruit very _special _people. And, you see, we believe you to possess a very _special _ability."

I gasped. There was no way. Special? I knew I was special, but not in the good way. Was my ability…was this why they wanted me? It couldn't be. "Is this…is this about what I think it is?"

Agent Coulson gave what could be considered a smirk, but on his innocent face, it looked strangely out of place. "If you're referring to your remarkable ability to heal people with the touch of your hand, then yes." My eyes went as wide as saucers. "Yes, Dr. Andrews, we know of your talent, and we wish to utilize it. You see, the other members of SHIELD, very _special _people, like you, can be a bit difficult to heal. We wish to bring you on as the director of our Medical Ward."

This afternoon was truly getting more and more bizarre. "How do you know about…my ability?" I nearly whispered.

Agent Coulson just continued to smile. "We at SHIELD are constantly watching for new talents to emerge."

Was this all real? Was I being punked? Was this all just some strange dream that I'd wake up from in twenty minutes? This couldn't be really happening. Agent Coulson just continued to stand there, staring at me. I didn't even know these people. Yet, if they knew about my "talent," then they must be smart. Why was I even considering going with them? They didn't deserve my trust. I was ambushed on just another day in the park. What if this all turned out horribly? What if it was all a lie?

What if it wasn't?

Something had finally emerged that would _truly _allow me to share my ability with people. I could help people who had no other option, and I wouldn't have to hide anymore. I'd be with people who weren't quite normal, like me. I'd be saving them.

"All right," I mumbled, not believing that I was actually doing this.

"Is that a 'yes?'" Agent Coulson asked, raising an eyebrow. I simply nodded in response, the words in the back of my throat not leaving my lips. His smile brightened and he handed me a white business card. "Perfect. Come to the address on the card at 8 AM sharp tomorrow morning. Give your name at the front desk. We'll be waiting for you." And with that, Agent Coulson left with his two goons, not even bothering to say goodbye.

* * *

I stood outside an average looking building a couple blocks away from Times Square. It was one of those buildings you would just pass by, not even wondering what was in there. The sun beat down on my back through my white blouse and I pulled down my pencil skirt nervously. I checked my watch. 7:55.

Was I really going through with this? Was I making the right decision? I hadn't told anyone about the meeting with Agent Coulson the day before, nor that I was actually going to the conference. But this…this was an adventure. It was risky, yes, but who knows? Maybe it would be worth it.

I opened the door to find a sparsely furnished lobby with a single brown desk in the corner. Everything appeared…dirty. As I was starting to consider turning around and never returning, the woman behind the desk looked up and smiled. "Are you Rebecca Andrews?"

I gave a nervous smile. "Yes, that's me."

The woman nodded toward an elevator on the far side of the room. "Take that down to sublevel seventeen."

I looked over at the elevator and gave the woman a polite nod. I pressed the button, and the doors immediately slid open, revealing an equally dirty elevator. I climbed in and pressed the circle labeled -17. The elevator shot down, sending me flying into the back wall. The doors opened, and I was in what appeared to be a completely different building than the one I'd just left.

The walls were pure white with steel flooring. Everything was polished so that it shined and in pristine shape. There was a long wooden table down the center of the room with chairs pulled up all around it. In the corner were a water cooler and a table with refreshments on it. There were no windows but multiple different openings that led to different corridors.

I walked around the room, looking for any sign of life, when a woman dressed in a skintight black leather suit walked into the room from one of the hallways. "Dr. Andrews?" She asked. She had cropped red hair and was pale, but she wore shockingly red lipstick.

"That's me," I answered. The woman simply nodded and beckoned me to follow her down a long hallway. She opened a door at the end of the corridor and ushered me inside. It had the same white walls and steel floors. There was a similar table that overtook the entire room, surrounded by a variety of people.

Agent Coulson sat at the end closest to me. On his side sat a man with short hair and a similar suit to the redheaded woman who led me here. A short man with dark curly hair and wire-rimmed glasses sat with him, studying an open file on the table. Next to him, looking over the other man's shoulder was another short man with dark hair and stubble covering most of his face. Across from them, there were two completely massive men. The one closer to me had shoulder length blonde hair and had his arms crossed over his chest, looking around as if he wasn't quite sure where he was. Then, the man next to him…he had short, styled dark blonde hair and wore a tight, long-sleeved blue t-shirt. He had his hands folded on top of the table and politely listened to the conversations going on around him. He looked up and noticed me staring and gave me the slightest of smiles, making me look away immediately.

The only man I didn't notice inside the room then cleared his throat, bringing my attention to him. He wore a long, dark coat and had an eye patch over one eye. "Dr. Andrews," he began. "Welcome to SHIELD."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow! I've never had a story get a response that fast. It usually takes me a couple days just to get a story alert, but my email keeps alerting me of another favorite (4) or alert (14) or even a review (3)! I really appreciate it! Hope you guys enjoy!**

Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and looked up at me. I stood there awkwardly, my hand roaming up to grab a lock of my dark hair and twirling it around my finger, one of my nervous habits. The man whose face was covered in stubble stood up and held out his hand. "Well, hello there," he began with a smirk. "I'm Tony. Tony _Stark. _Also known as Iron Man. Either name works. And _you _must be the new medical director. Everyone failed to mention you'd be as stunning as you are."

I blushed and shook the man's hand. I'd heard of Tony Stark, of course. He ran Stark Industries and owned the massive skyscraper that took up a large part of the NYC skyline. He was also known to be a ruthless playboy, but things had died down after he started dating his former assistant, now CEO of Stark Ind., Pepper Potts.

"Let me introduce you to everyone," Tony said, throwing his arm around my shoulder. "That man, right there with the glasses, he's Dr. Bruce Banner. Turns into this crazy psycho green thing when he's angry."

I raised my eyebrows at the seemingly innocent man he was referring to. Dr. Banner looked up and smiled apologetically. "I control it pretty well, though Tony will tell you differently."

Tony shook his head. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, I'm not buying it. Now, that guy," he continued, taking the pen from between his teeth and pointing at the massive man with the long blonde hair, "He's Thor. He's some Norse god from Ass-whatever with a glowing hammer."

"Asgard," the man corrected, with the most bizarre accent I had ever heard. "You insolent human."

"I'm not the one who's naming my construction tools," Tony retorted, rolling his eyes. "And this guy, with the bad haircut, he's Clint. And I can see you've already met Natasha. Such charmers, aren't they? Can't tell you the last time they smiled." He looked over at the two agents, but they both just rolled their eyes.

"And that charming man that you haven't been able to take your eyes off of is Steve. Stevey-boy here is actually old enough to be your grandfather, so I don't see why you're bothering," Tony finished, pointing at the attractive man in the blue shirt.

My jaw dropped and I blushed so hard that I swore I could feel it in my toes, and it looked as if Steve was blushing, also. "Don't be an ass, Stark," the man with the eye patch scolded. "Mr. Rogers was a hero in World War II. He froze himself in the North Atlantic while saving millions of people. We thawed him out and he woke up just this past year."

"Wow," I managed to choke out, despite my embarrassment. "That's incredible."

Steve looked up and offered me a small smile. "Thank you."

"Stark, if you wouldn't mind sitting back down and getting your hands off the new Medical Director, we could finally start this meeting," the man with the eye patch said.

"Ah, how could I forget?" Tony said, dropping his arm from my shoulder. "I almost didn't introduce you to our _wonderful _leader, Mr. Fury. Just charming, isn't he? I think it's the eye patch. It really helps establish—"

"_Stark," _Mr. Fury scolded. Tony scoffed and retreated back to his original seat. "You can take a seat, Dr. Andrews."

I sat in the seat directly in front of me, at the farthest end of the table, away from all the other members.

Agent Coulson, having not said a word the entire time, offered me a small smile. "You'll do fine," he whispered. I looked down at my hands and realized I was shaking. I hadn't even known I was this nervous.

"Rebecca Andrews," Dr. Fury began, reading from a paper on the table in front of him. "Says you graduated here from Harvard Medical with a PhD in medicine, executive surgeon at Mt. Sinai, volunteering at the American Red Cross…but it's all a cover up, now isn't it?"

I gulped. "No, sir, not entirely," I began, not exactly sure where I was going to go with this. "I mean, yes, the medical degree was entirely necessary, and my success as a surgeon may have come easier for me than most people, but it isn't an act, per say. I want more than anything to help people, and to do that, this is what I've had to do." I twiddled my thumbs, praying I had given a good answer.

"Wait," Clint interrupted. "A cover up for what, exactly?" Mr. Fury looked up at me expectantly, silently asking me to answer.

"I, uh," how do I explain it? "I'm a healer, I guess. If I touch someone where they've been injured, it immediately heals and I can tell exactly what was wrong in the first place."

Tony's fist pounded on the table. "Well, look at that. Sexy _and_ talented."

"Could you at least _try _to have some respect for her?" Steve asked, pushing his chair back from the table.

"I'm just stating the obvious! You're thinking the same thing!" Tony shouted, also pushing his chair back.

Steve began to rise from his seat. "_Yes, _she is beautiful, but we don't need to throw around vulgar names! She's a _woman, _and you should treat her as such!" he shouted.

Mr. Fury pushed both men down into their seats. "Could you both just _behave?" _he shouted, visibly seething. Had that man, Steve…had he just defended me? And…called me _beautiful? _I let my eyes wander over to him for just a second and his face was completely flushed, though from anger or embarrassment, I couldn't tell. "I'm sorry for that, Dr. Andrews," Mr. Fury continued.

I blushed and shook my head. "No need."

He sighed. "Now, as our Medical Director, you'd be in charge of our Medical Ward. We have a couple clearance tests to run you through, and then you'll have full access to the floor below us, the hospital wing. You have a full staff and wouldn't be expected to be present for minor injuries, but you will be consulted or utilized in any of the more prominent ones. This also includes rehabilitation, so you have complete access to both gyms in the building. At the present time, you'll be working with Captain Rogers, ensuring that he's at 100% after his…nap. Is that clear?"

Medical Director. They were willing to put me, someone they barely knew, in charge of one of the most important aspects of the organization. A smile began to slowly sneak its way onto my face, and I nodded. "Crystal."

Mr. Fury smiled. "Good. We're happy to have you on board, Dr. Andrews."

"My pleasure."

Fury stood up from his chair and gathered his things. "Alright, you're all dismissed. Rogers, I want you to show Dr. Andrews to the Medical Ward and both gyms."

Steve nodded, and everyone began to file out of the room, leaving just the two of us. "Nice to meet you, ma'am," he said, walking over to me. "I'm not sure I properly introduced myself. I'm Steve." He reached out his hand, and I shook it.

"Rebecca Andrews," I replied with a smile. He opened the door to the corridor and I nearly walked into him. He did not walk out the door, like I had expected, but stepped aside and waited for me to exit the room first. "Thank you," I mumbled in response, and he joined me out in the hallway. He led the way back to the main room I had originally come in at.

"I'm sorry for Tony's comments back there…and for the way I reacted," Steve said after a couple minutes, breaking the silence.

The memory brought a blush back up to my cheeks. "Don't be. I, uh…I appreciated it, more than you know. Most men wouldn't even think what Mr. Stark had said was rude."

Steve gave a light chuckle. "That's been one of the hardest things to get used to. People today are so…different than they used to be."

I smiled up at him. "I can imagine. I always used to tell my mom that I had been born in the wrong time period. The way society is today…it can be horrible. But you grow used to it, I guess."

Steve's smile faded. "You shouldn't have to, though."

"That's true. But I'd rather try to make the best of things now than not be alive at all."

He took a moment to process my statement as we walked. "I agree, but it still doesn't make it alright." We came to an elevator and he pressed the down button. "What time did you wish you could have lived in?" he asked.

I closed my eyes and smiled at the image there. "Just after your time period, actually. Late 40s, early 50s. Everything was…_perfect. _The war was over, people were patriotic. Couples went out dancing, _real _dancing, and feelings were genuine. " I opened my eyes, coming back to reality, and walked onto the elevator. I looked at Steve and noticed that he was smiling brightly as well.

"It was like that during the war, too," he said. "You'd spend all your time outside, riding bikes, getting a beer. None of those video games that everyone plays with now. And like you said, a date was a _real _date. People now, going to these clubs and just crawling all over people…it was nothing like that. It was pure…it was just real fun." Steve then blushed. "Not that I went on many dates."

I chuckled as we stepped off the elevator into another hallway. "You're joking, right? Have you seen yourself?" I blushed slightly at my comment, and I could tell he did too.

"I didn't always look like this," Steve admitted. "I, uh…had a…_procedure _done, just before I enlisted in the war. A science experiment. It made me like this. And even after, and still…I'm not very good with women," he mumbled, blushing.

"Well, we've been able to hold a good conversation for about five minutes now. You're obviously not _terrible," _I said with a laugh. He joined in.

"This may be my new record for talking to a woman. Five whole minutes."

We both laughed as he opened the door to an extensive gym, filled to the brim with treadmills, ellipticals, weights, and other equipment. "This is the main gym. This is the one almost everyone uses. If you can't find someone, they're usually in here," Steve told me.

"Almost everyone?" I questioned. Steve smiled.

"Follow me." We exited the gym and walked a little further down the corridor and came upon another door that Steve held open for me. Inside was a gym that looked as if it came straight out of a history textbook. An old-fashioned boxing ring was in the center, with different punching bags hanging from the ceiling across the room. Old posters of boxing legends hung up on the walls, and the room even had a musty smell to it.

"Let me guess," I began as I walked around the room. "This is where I'll always be able to find you."

Steve laughed. "Yes. They made this gym after they found me, before I woke up. They had originally planned to slowly ease me back into the modern world, but it didn't work out so well. The gym was already here, and the stuff down the hall is too high-tech for me, so I use this gym."

As I walked further into the room, I saw in the one corner a huge poster from World War II with an advertisement for a Captain America show in New York City. I smiled, and noticed that other Captain America memorabilia littered the room. As I stared at the poster, I noticed that the man seemed to almost resemble…

"Steve?" I asked, not taking my eyes off the picture in front of me.

"Yes?" he answered, coming to stand beside me.

"Is that…?"

"Yeah. That's me." Steve looked down, scratching the back of his neck as his cheeks started to turn pink.

"Huh. Captain America. I learned all about you in college. You were a hero."

He gave a nervous chuckle. "I did what I had to do."

I smiled. "Modest, too? My, my, who would've known Captain America was such a decent man?"

We both laughed at my teasing. "Yeah, well, I'm just trying my best."

"Well, you're doing a pretty good job."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Holy sugarplums. Remember when I said it usually takes me about a week to get a single review? Well, this story is **_**rather **_**different. The stats so far: 65 story alerts, 15 reviews, and 35 favorite story's. WHAAAT? You are all the best, seriously. I love you all. I'm not sure when I'll be able to update next, most likely Saturday, unless I can squeeze one in tomorrow night. Don't worry—every free second I get, I'll be typing away! And just a warning, I'm going to stick to the framework of the Avengers movie, but I'll be tweaking the scenes, as you'll see throughout the story. It just helps everything run a little smoother.**

The next morning after I woke up, I went into the bathroom and stared in the mirror. My sleepy green eyes looked back at me and I noticed the utter mess my brunette hair was. Why was I worried about my appearance? I was just going to work. To my job for a top-secret government agency where an exceedingly attractive Captain America happened to work…

Wait, what? Who said that? Not me.

I got a shower and tamed the beast that was my hair as I quickly threw on a black jumper, just remembering to grab my shoes before I ran out the door. I didn't notice the man leaning against a sleek black car in front of my apartment building until I hit the unlock button on my car key.

"Dr. Andrews?" He addressed, and I jumped, startled.

"Yes?" I answered, feeling like I was about to be interrogated for the third time this week.

"Mr. Fury sent me to collect you."

"Ah," I said, nodding my head. "Already thinks I'm incapable of getting to work myself." I stepped into the backseat of the car but didn't full relax, seeing as the building was only around the corner. However, when we came to the intersection, the driver drove on. "Um, excuse me? I think you missed the turn."

"Mr. Fury asked that I take you to the landing base," the driver informed me.

My eyebrows furrowed together. "Oh." What on earth was I needed for at a landing base?

After an hour drive, we pulled up to a long airstrip along the coast surrounded by the tallest barbed-wire fence I had ever seen. After proceeding through security, we drove up next to a small helicopter with Agent Coulson standing alongside it. "Dr. Andrews," he began, opening my car door for me and leading me over to the helicopter. "Due to the current circumstances, we're transporting you to our helicarrier." I simply nodded and sat down inside the chopper, Coulson following behind me.

We drove out over the Atlantic Ocean for nearly a half hour, with nothing but water in sight, until a huge metal landing strip came into view. The helicopter landed in the middle of runway and I was escorted out and inside a small room off to the side. Agent Coulson silently led me through a series of narrow hallways until we came upon a door labeled "Andrews."

"This will be your room during your time here," he said. "If you need anything, just let JARVIS know."

I turned around to question who the hell JARVIS was, but Agent Coulson was already out of sight. I hesitantly pushed open the door to my room, to find a small, but accommodating, set up. It was nothing like my deluxe apartment in New York City, but it had a bed, a sitting area, a small kitchen, and a bathroom. The walls, as I had come accustomed to, were stark white (**A/N: "stark" white. that was punny, and I hadn't even planned it!) **with a steel gray carpet. I noticed an overnight bag on the bed, and as I opened it, I realized that someone had packed me multiple sets of all my clothes. Next to the bag were a black leather bodysuit and a white lab coat. The note on top read:

_Dr. Andrews-_

_After you get settled in, please change into this and come to the lab on level three, where you will be debriefed._

_ -N.F._

I unfolded the suit and tried it on. Looking in the mirror, I laughed at myself. It was skintight and came all the way up to the base of my neck. I slid my feet into the matching black combat boots and threw on the lab coat with "Dr. Andrews, Medical Director" sewn over my heart.

I walked out the door and tried to remember the way I had come in. Finally making it back to the front room where the elevator was, I took it down to level three and found the whole crew: Fury, Stark, Banner, Thor, Romanoff, Barton…and Steve, who was giving me the shyest of smiles, which I immediately returned. "Morning, everyone," I said, getting everyone's attention.

"Ah, Dr. Andrews, sorry to bring you here on such short notice, but we needed to get moving. There's been some developments that we wish to share with you," Fury said, looking around at the rest of the people assembled. "You see, Thor's brother, a god named Loki, has come to Earth and stolen an energy source called the Tesseract from us. It's powerful enough to supply enough clean energy to the entire planet, but in the wrong hands, can be extremely dangerous. Last night, we were able to locate Loki and bring him into custody here. So, for the time being, we'll all be staying aboard the helicarrier."

You know, after finding out that superheroes still existed, you would have thought that this news wouldn't have surprised me—but once you throw in an evil god trying to overthrow the planet, and said god being held just below my feet…I was starting to feel uncomfortable. "Oh," was all I managed out in my shock.

"You'll be completely safe—he can't hurt you," Steve reassured me.

"No, it's not that," I answered, trying to clear my head. "Just shocked, I guess. But thank you all for telling me."

Fury nodded. "Of course. You're all dismissed then."

The room began to slowly clear out, and I made my way back over to the elevator. Just as I was about to hit the button, a hand reached out and beat me to it. "You okay?" I looked up and found Steve looking at me worriedly.

"Me? Yeah, I'm fine. It's…I don't know how to exactly react to someone telling me a god is trying to take over the world," I said, with a humorless chuckle. Steve's face didn't relax in the slightest.

"Everything's going to be ok. The good guys always win, right?"

Steve and I walked onto the elevator and I sighed. "I hope so." I took a deep breath and shook my head. "So, anyway. How'd they capture this Loco guy anyway?"

Steve chuckled. "Loki. Stark, Thor, and I went after him last night."

My jaw dropped. "You went after a _god? _Do you know how ridiculous that is? You could've been killed!"

Steve laughed and shook his head. "It's what I'm made for, ma'am. It's my job. I'm fine, aren't I?"

I looked him over, checking for signs of damage, when my eyes settled upon a purple mark peeking out over the top of his shirt. "Are you?" I said, glaring at him. He noticed where I was looking, and nervously tugged at his collar.

"It's nothing, I'm fine," he answered quickly.

I shook my head, not looking away from the bruise. "No, you're not." I reached up and moved his hand out of the way. I pulled his shirt down just the slightest and saw a long gash stretching across his chest. "Oh my god, Steve…" I whispered.

"It's nothing, ma'am, seriously," he insisted, trying to push me away. I brought my other hand up and just barely touched the gash, making him flinch, but in an instant, his skin was healed. His brow furrowed. "Dr. Andrews, how did you…"

"You know you can call me Rebecca, right?" I answered, finally looking up at him, and just realizing how close we were. Our faces were mere inches apart, our noses almost touching. What the hell was happening? Why was I doing this? I don't even know him! What-

"Rebecca," he whispered, like he was testing how it would sound. Those blue eyes were staring into mine, I was losing all trains of thought, and I—

The ping of the elevator sent us flying apart as Tony Stark stepped out and noticed the two of us nervously shuffling. "What, did I interrupt your make-out session? Do you know how gross that is? He's older than your grandfather, for God's sake." Tony walked out of the room, shuffling the papers in his hand.

I gulped. "I, uh, should probably be finding the hospital wing, or something…"

Steve nodded, his face hot pink. "Yeah, right, I probably should be—"

Steve and I were both thrown across the room as an explosion ripped through the wall beside us. I landed hard on my left hip and screamed out in pain. My head hit the ground hard, and my vision blacked out. I could faintly here someone shouting my name, but was too disoriented to place it. Steve! Was he hurt? Where was he? Just as my head was starting to clear for a second, he came running out of nowhere and knelt down beside me. "Rebecca," he shouted, trying to be heard over the alarms and fire roaring around us. I tried to get my eyes to focus on him, but the blinding orange and yellow of the fire eating everything in sight around us caused me to get dizzy. As another explosion took out the wall across the room, he leaned over me, shielding me from the flying debris. "Rebecca, I need you to stay with me, talk to me!"

I tried to stay alert, even though I'd hit my head pretty hard. Was he ok? Had he been hurt? I tried to lift my arm up to let my hand brush against his skin, cure anything that I could while being so weak, but my fingers just twitched as my hand lay limp at my side. "Steve….i-it hurts…"

Steve's hand was cupping my cheek, begging my eyes to look at him. I silently prayed that maybe, by him touching me, I could heal him. I couldn't tell if anything had changed. "Rebecca, please, look at me, you're going to be ok, everything's going to be fine," he pleaded.

I forced myself to sit up, even though Steve was trying to push me back down. My head spun and I nearly blacked out, but I forced myself to stay conscious. "I-I'm ok…my head hurts, but I'll b-be ok. Steve, you need to go," I paused, groaning as another wave of pain clouded my vision, "go help everyone."

Without even saying anything, Steve scooped me up in his arms. I was disoriented for a second, but then laid my head on his shoulder as he was running through the corridors of the helicarrier. I was able to reach up and press the palm of my hand against his neck, and I noticed immediately that he was running straighter and easier. Healing him had drained what little energy I had left, though, and I could feel myself fading away. My vision blocked out from time to time and my head spun. The last thing I remember was Steve laying me down on my bed, and whispering, "God, Rebecca, please, just hold on," as he kissed my forehead.

**A/N: Well, what did you think? Good? You liking it? This explosion scene is far from over; I'm going to continue it in the next chapter. I don't think I'll be able to post until Saturday, got a busy next couple of days! Love you all!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I am so incredibly sorry for the wait! You wouldn't have believed these past couple of days. But guess what? I saw the Avengers for the second time today! Wooh! Still as incredible. It's a movie I definitely suggest seeing twice, you pick up on a lot of different things. And I'd like to remind you all how much I love you—146 story alerts, 36 reviews, and 74 favorite story's. YEAH, HOLY SHIT. YOU'RE ALL THE BEST. But enough chitchat, let's continue on!**

I woke up in a bit of a haze, not exactly remembering where I was. As my eyes were slowly coming into focus, I could make out my room, realizing I was aboard the SHIELD helicarrier. I was still in my uniform, but my head was in severe pain. As I came further into consciousness, it was quickly dulling. I reached my fingertips to the back of my skull, and it was nearly gone, but I was too weak to heal myself fully. I began to hear the alarms and shouts taking place aboard the ship, and I tried to remember what had happened.

_I had been standing with Steve…I healed him, didn't I? And then Tony walked in…oh my god, the explosion!_

I ran to open my door, but it was bolted shut. I took my first real good look around the room, and saw that my room had been put into lockdown. "JARVIS," I called. "I need you to let me out and find the safest way to the Medical Ward."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Dr. Andrews," he replied. "Captain Rogers specifically told me to not let you out of this ro—"

"I don't care what Captain Rogers told you to do," I shouted, yanking on the door handle again. "You need to let me out of here, JARVIS. Now."

"The Captain won't be happy," JARVIS replied, sounding as worried as a robotic voice could.

"I'll take the blame," I answered, and the door clicked, alerting me it was now unlocked. I threw on my earpiece so I could hear the rest of the team and JARVIS and headed out.

The second I opened the door, the shouts and gunshots reached deafening levels. The hallway was clear, and, following JARVIS' orders, continued down the hallway until I reached an elevator.

"I'm sending the elevator up to you, Dr. Andrews," JARVIS told me. "It's empty. Take it to the fourth floor and make a left as you exit."

Just as the elevators doors slid open the sound of gunshots farther down the hallway caught my attention. As I stepped in, I saw out of the corner of my eye what looked to be a SHIELD agent. I tried to get the elevator doors to shut as quickly as possible, but just before they slid completely closed, and bullet flew through the elevator shaft, missing my shoulder by near inches.

Since I had a few seconds of safety, I spoke into the earpiece. "What the _hell _is going on, and _why _did I just get nearly shot by one of our agents?"

"Rebecca?" I hear Steve's voice, slightly static-y. "I told JARVIS _not _to let you out of that room!"

"I wasn't going to just sit there and watch you all die," I shot back. "Fury, what's going on?"

"Barton and a small squad disguised as our agents blew up one of our engines. If one more goes down, so do we. Stark and Rogers are on it. I'm holding them off in the control room. Can you get down to the ward—" Fury informed me.

"Already on it," I interrupted. "I'll get a visual on all of you and try to assist. If you can, send any injured down, and I'll take care of them personally."

"Rebecca?" I heard Steve's voice cut in, once again. "You stay safe, you hear me? If anything happens, you tell someone _right away, _is that clear?"

Even through all the devastation that was still continuing on, I allowed myself a very brief smile, knowing that he was worried. "I promise."

The elevator doors slid open once again and I found myself on the floor of the Medical Ward. I slipped down the corridor unnoticed and entered the main entryway. Checking around to see if anyone was there, I looked close into the retinal scanner and the door clicked open.

"JARVIS," I began. "I want a visual on Steve, Stark, Banner, Thor, and Fury." The monitors around me lit up, and on each screen I could see exactly what was happening to everyone. Fury was picking off members of Barton's squadron in the control room. Banner was no longer a short, innocent-looking man, but a menacing green monster that was ravaging the aircraft wing. Thor was trying to keep him at bay, but to little avail. Stark was working on the broken engine, pushing the turbines, hoping to kick-start it. Finally turning to Steve's monitor, I gasped. "Steve!"

Steve was hanging off the edge of the ship, holding on to a flimsy tube connected to one of the machines just off the engine Tony was fixing. "Cap, need a lever," I heard Stark say through my earpiece. The engine he was pushing was beginning to pick up speed, and if he didn't have help soon, Iron Man was about to become scrap metal.

"I need a minute here!" I heard Steve shout back in reply. Looking over at his monitor, I saw him trying to pull himself back up onto the ship. His hand nearly slipped.

"Lever! Now!" Stark shouted in reply. He stopped pushing the engine turbine and slapped against the one coming in behind him. I couldn't watch as I heard the metal of his suit clang against the engine. I saw Steve finally reach the safety of the platform, nearly getting shot, and pulling the lever down. Tony was able to fly out of the turbine, and just as another agent was about to shoot down Steve, Tony flew in and took him out.

"Jesus Christ, that was cutting it a little close, guys" I spoke into my earpiece. I heard Steve laugh.

"I'm fine, thank you for asking, and yes, you're welcome that I saved the ship," Tony said. I simply rolled my eyes and glanced over to Dr. Banner's monitor. He was still battling Thor as the Hulk when one of our ships starting shooting at him through the window. Bruce turned around to see who was firing, and quickly jumped off the helicarrier and onto the nose of the small plane, spiraling out of control. Bruce flew off the plane and started freefalling when the screen turned to static.

"Banner's gone," I informed the team. I then turned my attention to Thor, who was making his way to Loki's prison. _Loki. _"JARVIS, pull up a visual on Loki." The image came up immediately. Loki was sitting inside the cell, grinning madly. At the controls outside the cage, one of Barton's men was hacking into the program. Just as Thor walked into the room, the door to Loki's chamber slid open. Thor ran to tackle him, but Loki dissipated in thin air and locked Thor inside the prison.

"Are you ever going to _not _fall for that?" Loki laughed. As he continued on a long speech on how mankind was doomed, I held my earpiece closer to my ear as to hear over the gunshots.

"Loki's escaped—Thor's locked in his cell, and by the looks of it, Loki's about to drop him," I said, hoping for a response.

"I'm on it," I heard, not recognizing the voice at first, but coming to the realization that it was Agent Coulson.

"Coulson, stay out of it, I'll send in a squad," Fury replied, sounding a bit worried.

"Director, I can handle this. You all need me," he replied.

Looking at Thor's monitor, I saw Agent Coulson walk into the prison room carrying a large gun that was glowing orange. "Move away please." Seeing the stunned look on Loki's face, Coulson smiled. "You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent The Destroyer. Even I don't know what it does. Do you wanna find out?"

But instead of answering, Loki stabbed him right in the chest, through the back.

As Agent Coulson fell to the ground, Thor screamed out. Loki walked back to the control panel and hit the button, releasing Thor hurtling towards the ground out of the ship. Just as Loki was about to leave, Coulson spoke.

"You're gonna lose," the agent barely whispered. Loki turned and smiled at him.

"Am I?" he replied.

"It's in your nature," Coulson answered.

Loki shook his head. "You're heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky. Where is my disadvantage?"

"You lack conviction," Coulson told him.

"I don't think I—" the god began, but was cut off by Agent Coulson firing the weapon, still in his hand, and hitting Loki square in the chest. He went flying out of the holding room, and landed in a pile against the wall.

"So that's what it does," the agent whispered. Loki got up and exited the ship, turning his screen to static, as Banner's and Thor's had, showing they were out of reach.

It had all happened so fast, I couldn't even react. I let out a heart-wrenching sob as tears slowly started to make their way down my face. "Rebecca? Rebecca, is that you? What's wrong? " I heard Steve shouting through my earpiece, but I couldn't even concentrate. I stuttered trying to get the words out.

"It's…I-it's Coulson, he's…he's down, in the holding room….L-Loki, he…h-he stabbed him, a-and escaped, and now Thor's gone…" I half-screamed.

"Send a medical team to Coulson, _now," _Fury demanded, and I did so, sending the few personnel still in the ward out to him.

"JARVIS, shut these screens down," I commanded. "I don't want to see anymore." The tears kept flowing down my cheeks, but I knew I needed to compose myself. My team would be bringing Coulson back any minute. I'd try to revive him, I'd give it everything I had, but I was already positive of the outcome. I think everyone knew it, already.

When Coulson was brought into the ward on a stretcher, I knew it was too late. I pressed my hands to his neck, his chest right above his heart, everywhere possible, but it was too late. We had lost Agent Coulson.

I told the rest of the team to take care of him. I couldn't put him in the morgue myself—not this man, who had been the first to introduce me to this crazy world of superheroes. The first man to have faith in me…gone.

I walked out of the ward and took the elevator up to the control room. Blood was splattered across the hallways, guns scattered everywhere. Stark and Fury were conversing in the center of the room, while Steve was sitting at the conference table, his head in his hands.

"Hey," I whispered, walking over to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. His head snapped up and he stood up in front of me.

"Hey," he whispered back, seeing as the room was practically silent. He looked me over, his gaze finally settling on my eyes. "You've been crying." I bit my bottom lip, reflecting back on the results of this afternoon, as another tear slipped out of my eye. I looked up at Steve, who seemed to not know what to do. I decided to take the one extra step separating us and hugged his chest as tight as I could, as the few tears remaining slowly made their way down my face. He stiffened, but after a few seconds, I could fell him relax, his broad arms slowly encircling my waist in a hug.

"Hey there," he whispered into my ear. "It's alright. It's alright. Everything's going to be ok, I promise. We're going to beat him. We'll send him far away, and you'll be able to go home, and live life like nothing's changed. You'll be safe, and Coulson won't have died in vain. I promise."

I felt his hand slowly inch up my back until it reached my hair. He stroked it away from my face, so very slowly, as I was calming down. I pulled away, his hand still entangled in my hair. "I'm sorry," I whispered, my eyes glued to the floor. "It's just…I…he was one of the few people here who actually believed in me."

Steve's hand moved out of my hair and under my chin, pulling my face up to look him in the eye. "I believe in you. You're stronger than almost anyone here. Stronger than I am."

I let out a sad chuckle. "I can't even lift my suitcase. Have you seen yourself?"

Steve gave a sad grin. "You know that's not what I meant."

His hand still under my chin, I forced my eyes to the side, not able to look at him. "Then why am I the only one on this ship crying?"

"Rebecca," he whispered. "Look at me." I squeezed my eyes shut, not able to view the sincerity he held in his crystal blue eyes. "Please?" he breathed. It was so quiet, so genuine, that my eyelids slowly slid open. "You _show _your feelings. That right there shows how much stronger you are than anyone else. I'll end up in the gym, beating the living daylights out of punching bags, wishing I was hitting myself, because I didn't do anything. You get it all out and move on—I'll be beating myself up for a very long time."

"Steve," I scolded, shaking my head, which was difficult do to his iron grip on my chin. "Don't be ridiculous. None of this was your fault. You and Tony saved this entire ship from walling into the water. You saved Tony himself. And, let's not forget, you saved me just after the first explosion. You're a hero."

"But I couldn't reach Coulson in time to stop him from going in alone," he barely whispered, his hand dropping from my chin.

"Do you remember when you crashed that plane into the ice?" Steve nodded. "I was studying your file last night—do you know what you said to Peggy when you told her? You said that it was your choice. You gave up yourself in order to save thousands of people." I paused, and watched as his eyes grew sad at the memory. My hand slid up his chest until it rested on his neck. "Agent Coulson made his own choice today, and he saved us all—and there was nothing any of us could do about it, because he had already decided. Just like you had."

"I just wish—" Steve began.

"I know," I interrupted. "I do, too. I tried for twenty minutes down in that hospital room to get him to come back, but nothing worked, and I started to blame myself. But, I realized, that when someone sets their mind to something, like Phil had…there's no stopping it."

Steve nodded again, and the ghost of a smile appeared on his face. "You always know what to say. I'm not good with words."

I gave him the best smile I could muster back. "You made me feel better. And besides…sometimes what a person needs is just for someone to hold them and tell them everything will be ok."

Steve's smile grew just the slightest, and it touched his eyes. "I can do that."

I chuckled and buried my face in his shirt. "I know you can."

**A/N: Longest chapter yet to make up for the slow update. I hope you enjoyed! I loved writing this scene. I **_**almost **_**wrote a kiss, which I bet a lot of you were expecting, but it was just too early, but I promise, I won't make you wait forever, and I won't just cut you off afterwards, either. I hate it when people give you the kiss you've been waiting for and then poof, story's over. So I promise, it'll be a good story. I may get to update as soon as tomorrow, I'm not positive, but stay posted! Love you all!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Back again! I'm still continually amazed at the reaction to this story. I wrote it because there wasn't enough Steve/OC's, so I figured I'd write my own, for myself—and then boom! It's been such a hit, I'm so touched. This chapter literally begins right where the last one left off, that super cute Steve and Rebecca moment, remember that? Yeah, I bet you do. This is going to be an overdose of Steve and Rebecca fluff, so I'm sorry. I just wanted to get everything set up before the big battle scene. So, let's begin.**

I could feel Steve's chest rumble from his laughter, and I smiled. How could I have only know this man for a couple of days, and yet feel so safe in his arms? And, _damn, _these _feelings…_the last time I had been in a relationship, it hadn't gone well at all. He had been a successful investment banker, so I didn't get to see him much. I was falling for him fast, even though most of our conversations were over the telephone. That was until I found out that the reason we didn't see much of each other was because he was too busy seeing his other three girlfriends.

And yet, here I was, standing with Steve Rogers, _freaking Captain America, _with his arms wrapped around me. I didn't trust men easily. I'd been hurt and treated horribly, but here was this man, who shouldn't even still be _alive, _holding me like nothing else mattered. He was kind, polite, and cared about me like no one else had in a very long time. And, you know, he did happen to be a superhero…

Fury cleared his throat as he and Tony walked over to the table. Steve and I jumped apart, and everyone sat down. Stark was completely silent—something I had never witnessed before. He blankly stared away from us as Fury began to talk. "These were in Phil Coulson's jacket." Director Fury threw what appeared to be Captain America trading cards, smeared with blood. "Guess he never did get you to sign them."

Steve picked up one of the bloodiest cards and flipped it around in his hand. He stared at his picture, staring back at him from the card. He threw it back down in the pile and looked away. He seemed distant, lost so far in his thoughts, like I could never retrieve him. I couldn't imagine what kind of pain he had been through in his life. From the war, to losing Bucky and Peggy, then waking up 70 years later, in this new world…

Hesitantly, I reached under the table and grabbed his hand, giving it the lightest of squeezes. His eyes briefly met mine, and I caught the slightest glimpse of a smile, which I quickly returned.

"We're dead in the air up here," Fury continued. No one looked up at him. "Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor. I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye." He paused, looking at the ground. "Maybe I had that coming."

Fury began to walk around the table, still not making eye contact with any of us. He sighed, hanging his head. "Yes. We were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract." At this, I looked over at Steve, completely lost, but he continued to stare distantly at our hands entwined on top of his leg. "I never put all my chips on that number, though," Fury continued, "because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea—Stark knows this—called the Avengers Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people…see if they could become something more—see if they could work together when we need them to, to fight the battles that we never could." He paused, letting out another sigh. "Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea. In heroes."

Tony stood up, having heard enough, and left the room without saying another word. Fury shook his head sadly. "Well," he mumbled, "it's an old fashioned notion." With that, he left the room, leaving Steve and I alone once again. I looked over at him. He just sat there, seemingly sulking. I wanted so badly to comfort him, like he did to me.

"Steve," I whispered. He was still looking at our hands, though I knew he wasn't really seeing them. His eyes were glassed over. He was drifting away from me. "Steve, look at me, please," I begged. "I'm right here. It's okay." I squeezed his hand, and he picked his head up. He just looked at me. Looked into my eyes, like he was seeing right through me. His gaze was so intense, I couldn't look away if I had wanted to. I was at a lost for words.

"I need to do something to stop this," he whispered, never breaking his stare. "Loki's escaped…it's only a matter of time before…"

I squeezed his hand and nodded. "I know. I know you do. Go talk to Stark. Figure something out."

He nodded very slowly. He stood up, pulling me up with him. He opened his mouth, as if he was going to say something, then shut it, shaking his head. He looked around the room, his eyes going distant again, but I squeezed his hand, still in mine, and they refocused back on me. He stared at me intensely again, and I swore to God, my knees were about to give out, when he leaned down and brushed his lips against my forehead. I closed my eyes, relishing in the feeling, and he turned away and left the room before I even opened them.

I sighed, plopping back down in my chair. This wasn't going to end well. There had been too much blood already shed, and it was just going to get worse. Loki wanted a big showdown—that much was clear. He wasn't going down without a fight. Could they even take him down? He was so powerful, a _god…_Thor was missing, as was Banner, Stark was nearly comatose, and Steve was fading more and more with every second. Loki had gotten exactly what he wanted—the Avengers were conquered and divided. "A house divided against itself cannot stand," I mumbled to myself, reminiscing on one of my favorite quotes. And suddenly…it clicked.

I sprinted out of the control room, looking for Stark and Steve. Coming upon the now empty holding room, I stopped just outside the door, hearing the voices of the two men I was searching for. "He made it personal," I heard Tony snap.

"That's not the point," I heard Steve fire back, sounding frustrated.

"That _is_ the point. That's Loki's point! He hit us all right where we live. Why?" Tony asked.

"To tear us apart."

"He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right?" Tony was beginning to shout, sounding breathless. "That's what he wants. He wants to beat us. He wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience."

"Right," Steve replied. "I caught his act in Stuttgart."

"Yeah. That's just previews, this is...this is opening night! And Loki, he's a full-tail diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered—" Tony paused, as we all realized at the same instant what Loki's plan was. "Son of a bitch."

I heard footsteps approaching, and my mind snapped back into focus. I was about to sprint away, so as to not be caught eavesdropping, but Stark turned the corner and saw my stunned expression. "Snooping, are we? You know, that's rather rude. A man with my level of infamy deserves more respect than that."

I couldn't even respond. I was so embarrassed at being caught and my thoughts all jumbled together. A blush began to paint my face, my jaw hanging open. "I, uh, I just—"

"It's fine," Steve said, rounding the corner, coming out into the hallway. "Stark, could you give us a moment?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "Yes, just make your romantic little goodbye quick, I'm not one for sappiness," he said, walking down the hallway. "Once you two are done schmoozing, get your suit on. I'll get everyone else."

My eyes followed Tony as he walked away. "What are you going to do?" I asked, turning to face Steve as soon as Stark was out of earshot. He crossed his arms over his chest, looking at the ground.

"He and I are getting what's left of the team and heading out to Stark Tower," he said. "We're finishing this now."

I sighed, folding my hands. This wasn't going to be good. "You, Tony, Natasha, and Hawkeye? Just the four of you? Steve, you're going to—"

"I'll be fine," he promised, uncrossing his arms and resting his hand on my forearm. My eyes crept up to meet his, and he gave me a reassuring smile.

"Promise me you'll come back," I whispered, barely loud enough for even me to hear. My voice wasn't broken, like I had expected it to be—it was stern. I didn't sound upset, just resolved, almost angry. Angry that all of this had to happen, that the people I cared about had to risk their lives because someone felt entitled to rule the world. "Promise."

Steve's hand crept down my arm and squeezed my hand. "I promise. Everything's going to be ok. You'll be able to go home, and you'll be safe, like none of this ever happened."

My heart twitched a little at this. _Like none of this ever happened._ Did that mean I was going to lose him? God, I had just met the man, and I was already falling so deep into this hole…was he just going to disappear from my fingertips? "Does that mean…that, after this, you're going to just…vanish? Will I see you again?"

Steve's jaw fell just slightly ajar, and he stared at me like I was a new person. "You'd…you'd still want me in your life? After all this?"

My eyes went as wide as saucers, my mouth hanging completely open. "Is that a joke? Isn't it obvious? Steve, you're…you're the first person I've met in a _very_ long time that—"

"Captain, it's time to go," Agent Romanoff commanded from down the hall. Steve's hand left mine and he nodded at her over my shoulder.

"Come back," I whispered one last time, squeezing my eyes shut. He couldn't…he had to come back. He had to stay alive. He would save us all, and he'd come back. I wouldn't let him die—he wasn't allowed to. Something _great _could come from this, from him. I could feel it all the way down in my toes. I was meant to join SHIELD. I was meant to meet Steve. He couldn't slip away from me now, when he was so close.

I felt Steve kiss my forehead once again. "I promise," he whispered, and then walked away, leaving me alone in the hallway, praying that he'd be all right. I looked down either side of the hallway and saw that no one was there, and figured that I should probably head up to the control room to see what I could do to help. The walk seemed long and laborious, but I knew it was just because I was worried—not just about Steve, but all of them. Even though we'd only been together a few days, this was my new family, and I had to help protect them.

Walking into the control room, I saw Fury and Agent Hill staring out the large window at the front of the ship. "Sir," Hill addressed, neither noticing my presence.

"Agent Hill?" Fury replied, not looking away from the window.

"Those cards…" she began. "They were in Coulson's locker—not in his jacket."

Fury continued to scan the view in front of him, seemingly searching for something. "They needed the push."

I walked to the edge of the platform behind them and leaned on the railing, getting the perfect view out of the large window. A jet zoomed by, and I realized immediately who the passengers were. "They found it," Fury continued. "Get our communications back up, whatever you have to do. I want eyes on everything."

"Yes, sir," Agent Hill replied, and all the monitors in the room lit up. Different SHIELD agents filed in and sat down in front of each of the computers. I pulled my earpiece out of my jacket pocket and tucked it back into my ear, letting me listen to all that was going on.

"Dr. Andrews," Director Fury called, turning around to face me. "I want you to stay up here. No one's going to get hurt on this ship, so I want you to man the main controls," he said, pointing to what was usually his station—a circular platform in the middle of the room, with two monitors on each side. "Keep an eye on everyone for me. I have some business to attend to."

I nodded. "JARVIS, give me a visual of Stark, Steve, Natasha, and Barton. See if you can find Loki. As soon as Thor or Bruce are spotted, I wanna see them, too."

"Of course, Dr. Andrews," the robotic voice answered, and the screens around me came to life. Iron Man was busy taking out different members of the Chitauri. I saw Barton's plane crash-land onto the street. Steve, Natasha, and Barton filed out, unharmed, for now. The battle had begun.

**A/N: Another goody? Did you like it? I hope so. It's about to get pretty intense, so I hope you'll all enjoy it. Just letting you know, I plan to continue this story past the movie. I'm planning on showing what Steve and Rebecca do after the whole Avengers thing, and how they both moved forward. Hope you liked the chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Back again, guys. As I say every time, the response to this story has literally been astounding. I was never overly confident in my writing skill, but this—this has been an eye opening experience, and I love each and every one of you for supporting me. I think you're all enjoying the story, right? The story has gotten over 7,000 hits. **_**7,000 freaking hits. **_**Holy. Crap. Thank you so much. Lately I've been getting sent suggestions for the story, and though most writers hate it, I've absolutely loved it! It doesn't mean I'll use all of them, or use them exactly the way you guys say, but you keep throwing me some curveballs that I want to add to the story. So, if you think of anything, message me, I'd love to hear from you! Love you all!**

Manhattan was in complete chaos. The screens around me showed utter devastation in every direction. Citizens were scrambling, running for their lives, as these aliens, the Chitauri, were flying around on what almost looked like motorbikes. The NYPD were swarming the streets, trying to assist, but their weapons were almost powerless against the foreign creatures.

I was moving side to side, keeping a wary eye on all the monitors around me. There was still no sign of Banner or Thor. Dr. Selvig, still under Loki's mind-control, was positioned at the very top of Stark Tower. He had invented a harness for the Tesseract that would allow a portal connected outer space to open. Stark had tried to stop him, but he had been too late—the gaping hole in the sky was permitting the Chitauri soldiers to fly through at will.

Suddenly, to my left, another screen opened up, revealing Thor flying towards Stark Tower. I pressed my finger to my earpiece and spoke, "Guys, Thor's headed for Loki right now—still no sign of Banner." As Thor and Loki began to fight each other, a giant worm-like creature flew out of the portal. My eyes grew wide and I was about to page the team, but Steve beat me to it.

"Stark, are you seeing this?" Steve shouted, fighting off another Chitauri soldier.

"I'm seeing, still working on believing," Tony replied, flying through the streets of New York City, blasting aliens as he went. "Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet?"

"Banner?" Steve replied, surprised at Tony's curiosity.

"Just keep me posted. JARVIS, find me a soft spot," Stark commanded, flying alongside the giant worm.

It was quite the commotion aboard the helicarrier. Everyone on board the ship was in the control room, intensely watching the monitors and listening in on their earpieces. We were about 20 miles outside of Manhattan, flying over the water. After the explosion the other day, the ship wasn't strong enough to be able to participate in a true battle. Those of us left on the ship had to help from far away.

My eyes flickered over to Thor's screen, where he seemed to have the advantage over Loki. Loki was lying on the ground, just along the edge of Stark Tower, Thor just feet away. As the blonde god went to deliver another blow, Loki rolled right off the building, landing on one of the Chitauri hovercrafts. "Damn," I mumbled as Thor took off to assist the other Avengers in fighting the aliens. "Loki's on the move, heading south. He's riding one of those bike-things," I said clearly, as to be heard over the war down below.

"Just leave him for now," Steve commanded. "Right now, I want everyone to focus on getting the people out of here and getting rid of these aliens." Just as he was saying this, I saw him jump on top of a car surrounded by a couple of police officers. "I need men in these buildings. There are people inside that can run into the line of fire. You take them through the basement or through the subway; you keep them off the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th," he demanded, pointing down the street.

The officers, stunned, retorted, "Why the hell should I take orders from you?"

Suddenly, a group of Chitauri soldiers descended upon the group. I watched Steve throw his shield and fight them off with ease, killing more than four aliens at once. Once the coast was clear, he paused, glaring at the officer, who immediately turned around and started walking down the street.

"I need men in those buildings. Lead them down and away from the streets…" the officer spoke into the walkie-talkie on his shoulder. I let out a small chuckle.

The Avengers on the ground assembled, excluding Stark, and were just starting to lay out a plan when another monitor lit up to my right, revealing Bruce Banner riding a motorcycle. Just as I was about to page the team, he rolled up right in front of them. "So. This all seems horrible."

"I've seen worse," Agent Romanoff answered, referring to her altercation with the Hulk aboard the helicarrier just the other day.

"Sorry," Dr. Banner replied.

"No," Natasha immediately replied. "We could use a little worse."

Steve spoke into his earpiece. "Stark, we've got him—Banner, just like you said."

"Tell him to suit up," Tony demanded. Looking over at his screen, I could see he was flying towards the assembled group, the giant worm nipping at his heels. "I'm bringing the party to you."

As Tony rounded the corner, Natasha's eyes grew wide. "I don't see how that's a party."

My earpiece fizzled out just then, tuning out the rest of the Avengers. I tapped it, trying to get it back on, when I heard Nick Fury's voice. "Dr. Andrews, Agent Hill, we're having a bit of a situation. Leave someone _qualified _in charge of the monitors, and both of you come down to the conference room." Agent Hill looked back at me, making eye contact, and we both nodded. She chose one of the men sitting below us to watch the visuals for me, and we headed down to Fury.

"What is this about?" I whispered to Agent Hill as we were walking down the hallway.

"I have no idea," she replied, shaking her head. "If he's willing to leave just another soldier to watch over the guys in a battle this big…it must be important." I nodded my head in agreement.

When we walked into the conference room, Fury was speaking to a wall of screens, each showing a different member of the council. "I recognize that the council has made a decision, but given that it's a stupid-ass decision, I've elected to ignore it."

"What the hell?" I whispered to Hill, and she nodded at me, looking equally as confused.

"Director, you're closer than any of our subs, you scramble that jet—" one of the councilman demanded.

"That is the island of Manhattan, councilman. Until I'm certain my team can't hold it, I will _not_ order a nuclear strike against a civilian population," Fury fired back, firm.

"Oh my god," Hill breathed out. I was just as shocked as her. The council…they were suggesting we blow up all of Manhattan? The whole island—just wiped out? There were innocent people down there! Women, children, our team, Steve…they couldn't do this. Fury would never allow it.

"If we don't hold them in the air, we lose everything," the councilman persisted.

"I send that bird out, we already have," Fury said. He shut down the screens and turned away, massaging his temples.

"Director Fury, we can't possibly allow them—" Agent Hill began.

"Do you think I don't know that?" He answered, visibly seething.

"What do we do? They won't listen to us—they'll do it anyway, if it's what they've set their minds to," I said. Director Fury and Agent Hill nodded their heads, deep in thought.

"We need to get up there," Fury said, starting to walk towards the door. "They'll send it out from here—there's no one else within fifty miles."

Agent Hill and I sprinted after Fury back up into the control room. I reclaimed my position in the center of the room and my earpiece fizzled back to life. My eyes immediately focused on Agent Romanoff, who was standing on top of Stark Tower with Dr. Selvig, who seemed to be in control of his own mind again.

"Loki's scepter, the energy…" he began. He seemed as if he was coming out of a daze, trying to recalibrate his mind. "The Tesseract…can't fight. You can't protect against yourself."

Natasha put her hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "It's not your fault. You didn't know what you were doing."

Dr. Selvig looked over toward the Tesseract and shook his head. "Well, actually…I think I did. I built in a safety to cut the power source."

Agent Romanoff nodded, already knowing where this was going. The briefest of smiles flashed across her face. "Loki's scepter."

"It might be able to close the portal," Dr. Selvig said, looking over the ledge of the building. "And I'm looking right at it." I focused the monitor towards where Selvig was facing, and saw that the scepter was sitting alone on the level just below them. Agent Romanoff jumped off the ledge, grabbing the scepter, and ran back inside Stark Tower, making her way back to the Tesseract.

My attention was directed away from the monitors when Agent Hill stood up, shouting toward Director Fury. "We have an unauthorized bird taking off!" she shouted, forcing all eyes on her. "Take-off _not _authorized!" she shouted into her earpiece.

Fury grabbed a bazooka on the wall beside him and walked outside onto the airstrip. Aiming at the plane taking off in front of him, he shot the plane, making it skid to a stop before ever leaving the helicarrier. I let out a sigh of relief for a moment, until another plane took off right behind it—the plane carrying the bomb. There was no stopping it. It was already on its way to Manhattan.

"Stark!" Fury shouted, running back into the control room. "You hearing me? We have a missile headed straight for the city!"

"How long?" Tony replied, sounding completely calm. I looked over to the screen following him—he had a team of about ten Chitauri following him. How could he still sound so relaxed, after all this?

"Three minutes, at best," Fury replied, sounding grim. Hearing the sadness in his voice, that's when it hit me…if someone didn't stop it, all of Manhattan would be gone in just three minutes. My home. After my family had been killed in a car accident when I was 23, I needed a change of scenery—and New York was the perfect place. My new life was about to vanish before my very eyes.

I watched as Stark flew through the city towards the bay where the missile had just been launched. The other Avengers were still on the ground, killing more of the Chitauri. Natasha had retrieved Loki's scepter, the tip just breaking the barrier surrounding the Tesseract. "I can close it!" she shouted into her earpiece. "Can anybody hear me? I can shut the portal down!"

"Do it!" Steve shouted while fighting off another alien.

"No, wait!" Tony yelled. I looked over toward his monitor—he was closing in on the bomb, flying straight towards it.

"Stark, these things are still coming!" Steve cried in reply.

"I got a nuke coming in, it's gonna blow in less than a minute," Tony answered. "And I know just where to put it." He had reached the bomb, still rocketing towards the city. He got under it and steered it using his shoulders. Tony shot straight up, heading towards the portal.

"Stark, you know that's a one-way trip," Steve said, suddenly soft-spoken. He had reprimanded Tony countless times for being heartless and selfish. He accused Tony of only fighting for himself and always finding the way out. Stark didn't reply to Steve's comment—he just kept flying straight up, getting closer and closer to the portal, until he flew right through it.

Everyone in the control room burst out in cheers, minus Fury and I. Manhattan had been saved, but Tony…where was he?

Still having not heard the deafening roar of the bomb detonation, I glanced back over the screens, making sure everyone was in good condition. It would all be over in a matter of seconds, and everyone seemed to not have suffered any severe injuries.

Just before the thundering boom of the bomb, I watched as a Chitauri threw one final swing at Steve, lodging his spear deep into my Captain America's side.

**A/N: I know, you all hate me. I'm not usually a cliffhanger kinda gal, but look at that. It was right there at my fingertips—I've had this planned since I decided to write the story. And don't worry—the story's **_**far **_**from being over. I hope you're still enjoying it. I even gave you two chapters in one day! I love you all, talk to you soon!**

**(194 story alerts, 62 reviews, 113 favorite story's—you guys are the best.)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Well hi guys! Back again. You know, I never get emails. Never. But I've saved every email I've gotten pertaining to this story, which I originally posted on Tuesday. Would you like to know how many emails I've gotten? 472. 472 emails letting me know that you've favorited, alerted, or reviewed this story. Crazy. You're all the best, you have my heart. This chapter's going to be a little different—I'm going to throw in some flashbacks. They'll be in italics.**

_**June 9, 2008 ~ Massachusetts**_

_ I drove over to the only banquet hall in our small town outside of Boston and pulled into the first open spot in the parking lot. I cut the engine and threw open the door, nearly dinging the car next to me. I was late, as usual. My graduation party was going to begin in less than a half hour, and I hadn't decorated the hall at all. I popped the trunk, pulling out the huge white cardboard box that contained a vanilla sheet cake. Balancing it on one hand, I opened the rear car door and pulled out the extensive bunch of crimson-colored balloons._

_I wasn't usually a party person. I hated large groups of people—_especially _when I was the reason they were gathering. I hadn't wanted to have a graduation party, but my mother had insisted. "Sweetheart, it's not everyday you graduate from Harvard," she had nagged me. I had finally given in._

_My graduation had been a huge deal in the Andrews' household. My father had graduated from Harvard and gone on to be a successful surgeon. After I was born, the dream was formed—my dad wanted nothing more for me to go to follow in his footsteps and go to Harvard, and I was only a day old. _

_After my father was diagnosed with lung cancer when I was four, he had sat me down, giving me a speech I have never forgotten. "You know I'll never force you to do anything," he had whispered, his voice hoarse. "I want you to follow your dreams, sweetheart. When you grow up, don't let anything stop you—not people, sickness, or any other problems you'll face. You're no normal girl, Becky—there's something extraordinary about you. Use it, honey. Don't let your gifts go to waste." _

_My father had passed away the next day._

_I had always wondered if he knew. The rest of my family and I hadn't discovered my ability until I was five years old, on that fateful day when I fell on the driveway. Yet, a year before anyone else knew, my father had said there was "something extraordinary" about me. A gift. _

_I shook my head, shoving away those depressing thoughts. My dad would've been so proud of me today. I had graduated medical school at the age of 23. I had followed in his footsteps, and I was going to use my "gift" for a very, very long time, helping those who needed it. So, to celebrate my dad's legacy, I had agreed to have this party._

_The hall was still empty when I walked in. I checked my watch, looking at the time. My mom was supposed to be here already. I starting tying up balloons around the small ballroom and placed the cake on the long table taking up the majority of the dance floor._

_Another ten minutes passed, with no sign of my mother and two younger brothers. I pulled out my cell phone and saw that none of them had tried to call, either. I dialed my mother's number and propped the phone up under my ear. It rang, and rang, and rang…"Hi, you've reached Marie Andrews, I'm sor—" I hung up the phone and dialed the number again, but came to the same conclusion. I tried calling my brothers, but still no luck._

_I sighed, shoving the phone back into my pocket, and walked around the room one last time, making sure everything was in place before my guests arrived. Just as the first car pulled into the lot, my phone vibrated in my back pocket. "Hello?"_

"_Rebecca Andrews? This is Officer Bill Stevens. I was wondering if you could come down to the hospital—something's happened."_

_I moved the phone over to my other ear. "What?"_

"_It has to do with your mother and brothers. There was an accident."_

_And suddenly, I was all alone._

* * *

"_Steve!" _I cried. Before anyone could even react to the stabbing, a deafening roar rocked all of Manhattan, signaling the detonation of the nuclear bomb. Everything was happening so fast and I couldn't think straight. Agent Romanoff was closing the portal, Fury was shouting in hopes that Stark would fall through the opening in time, but all I could stare at was Steve, not even having fallen down after being attacked.

All of the Chitauri soldiers sunk to the ground, lifeless, their main power source having been annihilated. The portal in the sky was shrinking by the second, with still no sign of Stark.

"Someone get a med team down to Captain Rogers, _now!" _I shrieked, and watched as my closest crew gathered their things and headed out to the airstrip, not bothering to wait for confirmation from Director Fury.

I looked over at Steve's monitor, and saw him clutch his side as he hit the ground. The spear was still lodged in his abdomen and the first stream of blood was beginning to hit the pavement beneath him. As much as I wanted to solely focus on Steve, observing every detail to see how he was holding up, I had a job to do.

I heard a burst of applause from the far end of the room, and saw Tony Stark fall through the portal just before it sealed shut. He was falling fast, gaining speed at every second, and he wasn't moving. He plummeted closer and closer to the ground, slicing through the air, only a few hundred feet away—

The Hulk flew through the sky, swooping the Iron Man up in one arm and crashing into a skyscraper, sliding down the side until he reached the street. The two landed with a thud, and the green monster threw Tony to the side. He still did not move.

I pressed my earpiece deeper into my ear, speaking to the med team that was landing on the street beside the Avengers. "Make sure you grab Stark, too. God, please hurry." Thor stood over Tony, trying to get him to wake up. The helicopter touched down a little farther down the street. The Hulk sauntered his way over to Tony, looking over his unmoving body, and let out a glass-shattering roar. Stark's eyes snapped open.

"What the hell? What just happened?" He shouted, obviously startled. "Please tell me nobody kissed me." Banner laughed just as the medical team reached Stark. Half of them stopped, helping Tony to his feet, while the other half continued on to Steve, who was sitting alone, curled up in a ball, biting into his lower lip in pain.

"Steve," I whispered, my hand going up to cover my mouth. I hadn't checked on him in two minutes, which seemed like a short time, but when someone you cared about was in pain, it dragged on forever.

Blood was pooling out onto his blue Captain America suit and onto the street. His hand was clutching his left side, the spear still stuck inside him. One of the members of my crew was kneeling beside him, and they gently touched the wound. Steve let out a heavy gasp, and my heart heaved. Both he and Stark were lifted onto stretchers and placed inside the helicopter, coming back to the helicarrier. Thor, Bruce, Hawkeye, and Natasha were left on the ground, returning to Stark Tower to bring in Loki.

"Dr. Andrews," Fury called, startling me out of my thoughts. "It would probably be best if you headed down to the ward. They'll be needing you as soon as they arrive."

I nodded, staring blankly at the screen as I watched the helicopter lift off the ground and into the Manhattan sky. "I can handle it from here," Agent Hill whispered to me, suddenly appearing behind me. I gave back a quiet thank you and ran out of the control room, heading for the hospital wing.

_**November 3, 2010 ~ New York City**_

"_I don't want to hear it, Jack," I said, walking out of his apartment. My voice was calm, reserved, collected. _

"_Becky, c'mon, give me a chance, I didn't mean to—" he begged, grabbing my forearm in an attempt to spin me around. I planted my feet firm on the ground, not turning to face him._

"_I gave you a chance, Jack," I replied, my voice beginning to sound tired. "I haven't trusted a man in years. You were my first chance back in the dating world. And you _blew_ it, my friend. Just like that slut blew you." I shook my arm free of my grasp and threw open the door to his apartment, walking down the hallway._

"_Becky, it wasn't like that, I swear, it was an accident!" he pleaded, and I just shook my head, continuing through the hallway towards the elevator._

"_You accidentally slept with two different women? Is that a joke? I deserve better than this bullshit." I laughed as the elevator doors slid open, and I stepped in._

_Jack face twisted from his dejected sulk to an angry glare. "You're a first-class bitch, Rebecca Andrews. I was never even interested in you in the first place."_

_I punched the button labeled with the number one, and the doors closed, separating me from the asshole I had been falling for the past five months. Once the elevator slid down, I closed my eyes. The tears started to fall._

"_Why do I even bother?" I whispered to myself, wallowing in my self-pity. "Who would ever love me?"_

* * *

The door to the medical ward slid open, and I ran in at the same time two stretchers were being rushed in. I pushed most of my team to follow Stark, who was conscious and seemed to be doing ok. I sprinted straight to the second gurney coming through the doors.

Steve's eyes were squeezed shut and his breaths were coming out in quick, heavy pants. His suit had been cut open, revealing his upper body. The spear had been removed from his side, leaving an incredibly long and deep gash cutting across his abdomen. The edges of the cut were stained blue, most likely from the energy harnessed from the Tesseract that was carried in the weapon.

"Steve," I said, loudly enough for him to hear over his laborious breathing. "It's going to be ok, I promise." I reached down, my fingertips gently beginning to outline the wound, when my hand started to burn. My arm snapped back, my other hand clutching my wrist. I flipped my hand over to see what had happened, and saw that the pads of my fingers were singed, turning a bluish color. I attempted to heal the gash again, but my hand only burned worse.

"I need help over here, _now!" _I shouted, and three different nurses appeared beside me. "I need one of you to scrape off as much of the blue scarring around his wound as you can. I want to start dialysis pronto, see if it can get the energy out of his blood before it reaches toxic levels. Clean the rest of his skin off; make sure there's no residue of it on him _anywhere. _Is that clear?" I demanded. "We can't afford to lose him." Hell, _I_ can't afford to lose him.

I looked across the room over at Tony, and saw him sitting up straight on the hospital bed, a doctor taking his heart rate. He saw me staring. "Go save your lover boy, I'm fine, but no one over here seems to believe me."

I turned back to Steve, who was now being hooked up to a couple different machines. Why the hell couldn't I touch him? The Tesseract energy? There had never been anything that had stopped my power before. I had always taken pride in the fact that there was nothing that could prevent me from helping people—yet here I was, watching the man that had taken over my heart and mind struggle in pain, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

I slipped on some rubber gloves and went to help remove the charred skin on Steve's stomach. "Steve," I nearly begged, trying to help him calm down. "It's me, Rebecca. Everything's going to be ok. We're going to make everything better, I promise, Steve, you just gotta stay with me."

"Rebec—" Steve said, groaning in pain as I sliced off another piece of dead skin. His body twitched under my team's every touch, his muscles constantly contracting.

"I'm here, Steve, I'm right here," I replied, glancing up at the dialysis machine in front of me. Though it wasn't normally used for removing high levels of pure energy found only in outer space from the blood, it appeared to be working—his body seemed to be eliminating the energy. Most of the singed blue skin had been cleared away, and I removed my gloves, hoping I'd be able to heal him.

"Steve, this is gonna sting a little bit, but I _promise, _you are going to feel better," I pleaded. My voice was desperate, but I feared I was trying to convince myself more than I was trying to convince him.

I very cautiously reached my fingertips back down to the gash on his side once again, my fingers only stinging a little. Steve let out a harsh gasp, squeezing his eyes so tightly shut I thought he'd cut right through to his cheekbone. The skin began to heal over the wound excruciatingly slowly. The monitor to my left started to beat erratically, showing his heart rate was spiking. As his skin was finishing sealing shut, he whispered my name so quietly I wasn't sure I had even heard it. Steve's whole body tensed one last time, and then he lost consciousness.

**A/N: Oh my god, that was so dramatic! Haha. Wooh, I swear my heart rate's up just after writing that! Oh Steve. Don't scare me like that, we all love you too much. I hope you guys liked the chapter!**

**(11,000 hits. You guys blow me away.)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Well, well, well, I'm back again. You guys just make me want to write more—your support has been incredible. I think it's amazing that I'm staring at my computer, typing the thoughts that come to my head, and somehow, thousands of people are going to read it. Completely astounding. Ready for another chapter?**

It had been three hours, and Steve had still not woken up. Most of the doctors and nurses had left the ward after Loki had been brought up, in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the evil god. Tony had been discharged shortly after he arrived and left with them, leaving an unconscious Captain America and me completely alone.

Loki had surrendered shortly after his army had fallen. He had fought for a long time on his own before this final battle, and now seeing the true power of the Avengers, realized that he was hopelessly outmatched-at least, that's how Tony put it. The team had brought him back to the helicarrier, where he was now sitting in yet another holding cell (seeing as he had released the first one), waiting to discover his fate.

The steady beeping of Steve's heart monitor had become white noise at this point. We had continued treatment after he had passed out for about an hour, until we were completely positive all of the Tesseract residue was out of his system. His wound had healed over, leaving behind only a faint pink scar.

How had my life come to this? Just a week ago, I was performing routine surgeries on average citizens in a (almost completely) normal world. I had given up on the thoughts of family, marriage, dating, _happiness. _The only good in my life was my ability to heal those who needed my help. Being happy was just a silly dream.

Yet, looking at the unconscious man in front of me, I felt a smile spread across my face. His toned body, blonde hair, soft facial features, those crystal blue eyes that I knew were hiding under those lids…he made me happy. I had long ago decided that men we're never really worth the risk—I had been burned time and time again, and I had resigned to the fact that love was never going to be in my future. But this man…he was making me begin to change my mind.

God, what was _happening _to me? I had know him for what, a few days? It had taken months for me to even consider dating the man who was now my ex-boyfriend. How could someone creep up into your heart in a matter of _days? _

What was I even _saying? _That I had feelings…for Steve? Just thinking that brought another grin across my lips. Yes…I did have feelings for Steve. There was no sense in denying it. I was interested in Steve—but that word didn't do it justice. God, I…I _liked _Steve. Far more than I should.

I scooted my seat closer to his hospital bed and hesitantly reached my hand up to his hair. I pushed the few golden strands covering his forehead to the side and blushed at the feeling. God, I was acting like a little girl. The way I reacted every time he looked at me, touched me, and damn, when he had kissed my forehead…

What…what if he didn't feel the same way back? I mean, like I said, it had only been a few days—and gosh, I hadn't been the most graceful person in the world. I had cried into his shirt, got knocked unconscious in front of him…I probably looked like an idiot. A freak. Who would be interested in a freak? God, why had I been so stupid? I was falling deeper and deeper into these feelings, and he probably wouldn't even cast me a second glance.

I let out a sigh, shaking my head. I couldn't think like that. I had been meticulously controlling my emotions for far too long now…maybe it was time to just see where things went.

I smiled and reached up to take Steve's hand. I glanced over at the clock, and noticed that it had already begun to creep into the wee hours of the morning. I let out a yawn I hadn't know I had been holding and put my head down, resting it horizontally on Steve's shoulder. I drifted to sleep, still holding his hand.

* * *

My eyes fluttered opened and the first thing that I registered was my head leaning on something incredibly hard, but amazingly warm. My eyes slowly came into focus, and I could make out an arm, straight in my line of vision. I went to stretch said arm out and quickly realized that my hand was trapped in something warm and soft, and that the arm I was looking at was not mine.

_What happened last ni—_

"Oh my god!" I shouted, jerking up right after realizing where I was. My head spinning slightly from moving too fast, my eyes registered on the smiling face of Steve Rogers. "Steve!" I shouted, jumping out of my chair and throwing my arms around his neck as he was trying to sit up. I heard him chuckle in my ear and wrap his free arm around my back, the other propping himself up in a half-sitting position.

"Hi," he whispered, and I laughed at his nonchalant greeting.

I pulled back, still grinning like an idiot. I sat on the edge of the hospital bed and shook my head. "You're ok," I said, reassuring myself more than him.

"Thanks to you," he replied, still smiling as well. I looked down his chest to where the scar was, and noticed that it had faded even more in the past few hours. I let my fingertips gently brush against it and I felt his muscles tense underneath my touch. The pink line continued to fade until it was nearly invisible.

"How do you feel?" I asked, the doctor in me coming out.

"Fantastic," he answered. "How did the end of the battle go? Did they capture Loki?"

I nodded. "I'm not sure if you saw, but Stark made it out of the portal in time. Loki surrendered pretty shortly after—he's in one of the holding cells now."

He smiled. "Good," he said, nodding his head. "What about you? How are you?" His nose scrunched in worry.

"I'm good," I replied, nodding my head. "Better now that you're awake."

Steve's smile faded, a serious expression overtaking his face. "How bad was it?"

I looked away and folded my hands. "I couldn't heal you," I whispered, ashamed to admit it. "The energy in the spear, it was burning your skin, and…I couldn't touch it. It burned my hand." Steve frowned and reached out to unclasp my hands from each other. He held them out in front of him, running his thumb over my scarred fingertips that I hadn't healed on their own. "They'll heal in time," I assured him. "It just has to happen naturally, I guess."

He shook his head gravely, not looking away from my hands. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. "This is all my fault."

I turned my hands around in his, grasping his wrists. "Steve, don't say that. That's ridiculous. None of this is your fault." I kept persisting that he hadn't needed to apologize, but he just continued to shake his head.

"If I had just been paying attention, I wouldn't have gotten hurt, you wouldn't have had to—" he insisted.

"Steve." I shook my head, losing my patience. "Just stop, please. I'd do it a million times over if it meant that you'd be ok."

Steve looked up into my eyes—one of those incredibly intense, see-my-soul-kinda stares. His eyes just dug into mine and I was having a hard time remembering how to breathe. "Thank you so much. I'll never be able to repay you for what's happened to you, but I'm going to try, no matter the costs. Thank you."

I opened my mouth to respond, but no sounds came out of my throat. I felt a blush creep up onto my cheeks and I looked down at my hands. Did he know what he was doing to me? Did he enjoy toying with my emotions? It sure seemed like he did.

"I wish I was more like you," I whispered, still not meeting his gaze. "So honest, so sincere, so…_good._"

He breathed out a chuckle, a response I had not expected, and I looked up at him in shock. "You think too highly of me," he answered. Oh, he had _no _idea. "And you don't see yourself very clearly." I lowered my head once again so he wouldn't see my blush, but it was clear that he had taken notice of it by the similar flush that had painted his cheeks. "You're…" he paused, clicking his tongue in frustration. "I'm not good at talking to women," he mumbled, clearly flustered.

I chuckled and shook my head. "You don't have to be nervous about what you say around me," I insisted. "I'd never think you were stupid. I'm just as bad with words as you most of the time."

He laughed, regaining the confidence to look me in the eyes. "So you admit I'm bad with words?"

I laughed with him, shaking my head. "You know what I meant!"

He put his hands up defensively, still chuckling. "Just teasing. But, all joking aside…you're an i-incredible dame—I mean, woman! Sorry, old habits die hard…" Steve's face was bright pink and he ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. I chuckled and reached up to push back the one lock of hair he missed. His face only flushed more.

"I don't mind," I promised, giving him a big smile. "But thank you. I appreciate it." Steve simply nodded, not looking me in the eyes, his face still painted with a blush, a nervous smile gracing his lips. "You're not so bad yourself."

We both laughed at my teasing—he out of embarrassment, me due to the fact I had just spoken the understatement of the century. "So, I have to ask," I began after the laughter had died down. "And if it's too personal, then you don't—"

"No, it's fine," Steve said, offering me a shy smile. "I want…I, uh, want you to be comfortable around me. So go ahead." I swear, that boy blushed more than I did.

"The night before I came on the helicarrier, Fury asked me to read through everybody's files," I told him, wringing my hands. "And, I, uh, well, I read about a Peggy Carter, and I was wondering…" I let my sentence drag out, unsure of how to continue.

Steve took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair. "I was planning on telling you," he began, folding his hands in his lap. "I just never really found the right time."

"Steve, you don't have to talk abou—"

"No, I want to tell you." Steve looked up at me, sending me another of his ultra-intense stares. "You deserve to know. Peggy Carter was…" he paused, smiling at the memory. "She was the first woman I ever loved."

My heart couldn't help but sink, but I tried not to let it show. "She…I met her before I had the…procedure done. She talked _with _me, like an equal. No woman had ever even cast me a sideways glance—I was just little Steve from Brooklyn. But, sometimes…sometimes I miss little Steve. But that's beside the point." Steve looked around the room, his gaze settling for the far wall. "Before and after the procedure, she believed in me. When I was performing shows for war bonds, she always told me I was destined for better. So when I got word that my friend Bucky had been captured by HYDRA, I wasn't sure what to do—but Peggy had faith in me. So I went after him. And I brought him back."

I nodded. "I read that. You brought back over 400 people, Steve. That's…astounding. You really are a hero."

Steve blushed, shaking his head. "I…I did what I had to do. But Peggy was always there for me. She saw more in me than I ever did. And God, I fell for her. She was beautiful, charming, intelligent…I kissed her, just before I hopped on Schmitt's plane. And, as you know…I didn't get off that plane for over seventy years."

"Steve," I whispered, grabbing his hand. "I am so sorry. I shouldn't have asked—"

"How many times do I have to tell you I want you to know?" Steve interrupted, cracking a smile. I shyly grinned in return, embarrassed. "But Peggy would tease me, because I had never danced with a woman before—I had told her I was waiting for the right partner. So, when I spoke with her just before I crashed the plane, we set a date to go dancing…I woke up, expecting to go on a date, and instead found out she had died two years ago."

I knew nothing I could say would comfort him, so I just let him hold my hand as he took slow, deep breaths. "It was hard, at first," he whispered, finally turning to look me in the eye. "I missed her, and I couldn't accept the fact that I had missed out on her whole life. But…she would've wanted me to be happy. So I moved on."

I looked at my hand in his, and asked the question that had been at the front of mind during his whole story. "Do you…have you really moved on? Do you think you'll ever love someone like you loved Peggy?"

I heard Steve inhale deeply, and then he placed his other hand on top of mine, cushioning my one hand in between both of his. "I'm ready to love someone again. I'm ready to make a new life—I want to. And…I-I think I'm starting to." I looked up into his eyes and saw his face was flushed all the way down to his neck. The corner of his mouth twitched up in a shy smile and I returned it.

"Hey guys?" Agent Hill's voice came from the front door of the medical ward. "Fury wants everyone in control in ten." She ducked out of the room, leaving Steve and I alone again.

"We should probably go," I whispered, my hand still in his. "We've been gone awhile."

"Yeah." He stood up, pulling me with him. "Gosh, I can't wait for life to go back to normal—or, as normal as it can get."

I laughed, pulling his hand behind me toward the door. "Me, too. We'll be able to have a conversation for once without getting interrupted."

Steve squeezed my hand. "I'd like that. Just the two of us."

I blushed and gave him a smile, nodding my head. "It's a date."

**A/N: I wanna barf all over this chapter. It came out horribly. I've tried to fix it a million times, and I **_**know **_**this all needs to happen, but it just didn't come out right. I'm really sorry. But, I've officially finished the outline for the rest of the story—I know exactly what's going to happen from here on out, it's all just a matter of writing it. So, I'm sorry with this mediocre chapter, but I promise, I'll continue the story at a much better quality. You have my word.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: You guys…I don't even deserve you. You're all too perfect. I **_**hated **_**that last chapter, but you guys all seemed to love it, which makes me feel 200% better. You guys really know how to cheer a gal up. I love you, if I haven't mentioned a bajillion times. Annnnd I saw Avengers for the 3****rd**** time, WOOH! But I'll stop rambling now and give you your chapter.**

Back in the control room, Nick Fury stood at the head of the large, round table, the rest of the team sitting around him. Steve and I sat down beside Tony Stark as the Director began to speak.

"Before we get down to the heavy stuff, I'd like to congratulate all of you. You all did a fantastic job and have saved millions of lives. Not only us, but the whole world thanks you." Fury sighed, folding his hands behind his back. "Before we can all settle back into our lives, however, we need to decide on what to do with Loki and the Tesseract."

"They will both return with me, to Asgard," Thor demanded, his deep voice booming throughout the room. "There is no place safer for either of them. Loki will be punished and the Tesseract will return to its rightful place."

"Loki has to pay for his crimes—he needs to stay here to be punished," Natasha fought.

"You puny humans do not understand how to properly hold an Asgardian. You weren't able to hold Loki for more than a few days. He belongs in Asgard," Thor said, leaning forward on the table.

"He's right," Steve spoke up. "He's too dangerous to keep here—as long as he's on Earth, he'll find a way out. And I, personally, think the Tesseract needs to get as _far_ from here as possible. Getting lost in the ocean was the best thing that cube ever did."

"I think you're all missing the big picture here," Stark said, leaning back in his chair and putting his hands behind his head. "That Tesseract will provide enough clean energy for the whole _planet—_thus providing less harmful gasses, saving the ozone layer, continuation of the human race, blah blah blah."

"Does the safety of mankind mean _anything _to you? That thing stays here, there'll be no human race _to _continue," Steve fired back. He and Stark had never truly seen eye to eye. Steve was a humble, down-to-earth man, while Tony…well, was a "genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."

"I agree with Thor and Steve. What the world needs now is just some…normal," Banner added, trying to ease the tension in the room. Tony raised his eyebrows at him. "I want to study it as much as you, but sometimes you just gotta put what you want aside and do what's best." Tony scoffed, but didn't reply.

"So it's decided then? Both Loki and the Tesseract return with Thor?" Fury asked, receiving several nods of approval. "Alright. The Council won't be happy, but I've never taken their input into consideration before." The group chuckled in response. "There's also another problem we need to address. Everyone's living arrangements."

"I'd actually like to stay," Dr. Banner said rather quickly. "Sorry. But Tony and I were talking, and I feel like working for Stark Industries could be a pretty nice experience. I'm just going to have to try to stay stress-free."

Fury nodded in response. "We had figured that would be your decision. I'm aiming this more at Captain Rogers and Dr. Andrews, however."

"Oh my god," I whispered, finally realizing the obvious. How could I have not seen it? "My apartment…it's gone, isn't it?"

Fury let out a sigh. "We had someone go survey the damage last night—I'm sorry Dr. Andrews, but yes, it's gone."

My whole body seemed to go numb. "Was…was there anything recovered? At all?"

"Nothing significant enough to bring back. A lampshade, throw pillow, things of the such. Your apartment was at the heart of the battle, Doctor," Fury reported.

My entire apartment—gone, in an instant. My brother's old toys, my mom's wedding ring, my dad's college degree…gone. "I'm sorry, Dr. Andrews," Fury said, though his voice was not overly apologetic. "And Steve, you're apartment had been destroyed as well. The only things recovered were some clothes and a box of photos."

"That's alright," Steve replied, his eyes on me. "There wasn't anything else of much importance."

I wasn't going to let myself cry. It was just stupid old mementos, silly little things that…_that held so much meaning._ It was all I had left of them. "Well, I…I guess I'll have to move back to Massachusetts." Steve's eyes jumped up to my face, his jaw hanging slightly open. "I have family up there that I can stay with, and I should be able to find a new job…"

"Actually, Dr. Andrews," Fury began. "We had hoped that you would consider staying as the Medical Director here at SHIELD. We could use someone with your talents going into the future, and we could help you develop your skill even further. Tony has offered for both you and Steve to stay at Stark Tower until you find proper living arrangements."

My eyes widened and I looked over at Stark. "He says 'offered' like I had a choice," Tony added.

…Keep working at SHIELD? There were pros and cons with that. My life would never really be normal and I'd probably be tested like some lab rat. But…did I really want to try to be normal again? Instead of trying to fit in with society, I could show who I truly was here at SHIELD. Maybe we could find out why I had my ability and see if there was anything I hadn't already known about it. And, well…maybe I'd still get to see Steve.

"I'd like that," I said, not being able to hold back the grin that overtook my face.

"Excellent," Fury said, a smile actually appearing on his lips—it almost looked strange, so different than the usual grimace. "You and Steve will both be welcome at Stark Tower for as long as you need."

"As long as they need? You're pretty generous when you're giving away my things, aren't you, Patchy?" Stark cried, crossing his arms. It was amazing at how accustomed everyone had grown to simply tuning him out.

"So when are you and Loki going to head back?" Banner asked Thor.

"With Fury's permission," he began, "as soon as possible. Today."

Fury nodded, stroking his chin. "That's fine, the sooner the better. Central Park would probably be the best. Lots of wide-open space, one of the few places left around here not covered in rubble. I'd like you all present there, if that's possible—though I doubt any of you have a hot date tonight," he said with a laugh.

"Oh, I beg to differ—judging by the never-ending blush on Cap's face, I'd say he and Becky there have plans," Stark cut in, a smirk on his face.

"Oh, and you don't have any X-rated plans with Pepper?" Steve retorted and all of our jaws dropped. Steve, the gentleman he was, usually didn't bother replying to Stark, less anything so vulgar.

"See! He didn't even deny it!" Tony shouted, pointing across the table. I rolled my eyes, stifling a laugh. Even Fury let out a chuckle.

"Alright, you're all dismissed. Meet at Central Park in an hour. The helicarrier should be landing in Manhattan within a few minutes," Fury stated and left the room.

"Look at you," I started as everyone began to leave. "I didn't think you had it in you to come back with something like that."

Steve laughed and stood up. "That guy just knows how to get under my skin, and I don't know…it just sorta came out." I chuckled and we both walked out of the control room and made our way to our rooms. "Do you need a ride to the park?"

We stopped at my door and I nodded. "Yeah, that be great. I assume my cars been destroyed, with everything else…"

Steve's smile immediately vanished, and in a somber voice, he said, "I'm so sorry, Rebecca. I can't imagine what you've lost."

I swallowed and nodded, not wanting to have this conversation right now. "It'll be alright. I'll move on. I'm going to get changed, and I'll meet you outside once we've landed."

Steve offered me a smile, clearly noticing my change of topic, and with a wave, began walking farther down the hallway to his room. I opened the door to mine and sighed, imagining how much more my life was going to change in the next few days. Everyone kept saying how much they wanted life to go back to normal, but I didn't see how that was even possible anymore.

I was sliding on my brown leather jacket when I felt the ship hit the ground. I zippered up my duffel bag, having stuffed it with the few items I had on this ship, and walked out of the helicarrier. We had landed on the water just beside a large dock on Manhattan. I walked across the bridge, reaching the pavement, and spotted a sports car, a SHIELD van, and a motorcycle. "Dr. Andrews, I would seriously appreciate if you would stop drooling over my vehicle. Please go find your soldier and drool over him, instead. At least _he _wouldn't mind being slobbered on by you," Tony Stark commented, walking past me in a grey suit and a silver briefcase to the expensive-looking sports car. I rolled my eyes as Dr. Banner followed him, getting in the passenger seat.

"Sorry, Rebecca," he apologized for his friend, and the two drove off. Shortly after, Steve walked up behind me, grabbing my hand and leading me over to the motorcycle.

"I never picked you for a motorcycle-kinda guy," I commented as he sat down, nodding for me to sit behind him.

"And what kinda guy did you have me picked as?" he questioned as I wrapped my arms around his (incredibly firm) torso.

"I don't know," I commented, resting my head on the back of his shoulder. "I've only ever really imagined you driving military jeeps and such…and usually in red, white, and blue." I could feel his laugh ripple through his body as he drove off towards the park.

It wasn't a very long drive, and as we pulled up, the rest of the team started walking onto the bridge. Steve and I walked up with them, hand-in-hand. Thor was tugging Loki, done up with chains around his wrists and what looked to be a high-tech muzzle. Tony knelt down, opening his brief case, and pulled out the Tesseract, placing it inside a clear cylinder with a handle on each end. He handed it over to Thor, who reached out to Loki with it. They held the container, each with a hand on one of the handles, as Thor looked us over.

"Thank you all. I promise the Tesseract and Loki will no longer be a problem here on Earth," he said, nodding to each of us. Everyone nodded or smiled back. He twisted the handle he was holding, and he and Loki dissipated into the air.

"Well," Clint began, looking at the group. "I guess this is it…for now."

"Until we're all needed again," Steve added, nodding his head in agreement.

Natasha came up to me as we all began saying our goodbyes and gave me a hug, shocking me to no end. She had been kind, but could snap my body like a twig, so I had always been intimidated. "Good luck with Cap over there. You two deserve each other." I smiled and hugged her back.

I shook hands with the rest of the team, Stark pulling me in for a hug. "Even though you're my guests, I really don't want to hear any sex noises from you and the 90 year-old virgin. Please try to refrain. If I hear a single moan, you're both out." Steve, who was standing a few feet away shaking hands with Banner, turned towards us, his jaw on the ground and his face turning scarlet. I burst out laughing, both at Tony's comment and Steve's face.

"I-uh, I…I don't even know what to say in reply," Steve stammered, his eyes glued to the ground. Tony, who never usually laughed—just smirked—let out a chuckle.

"Good luck with that one," he said, patting me on the shoulder. He and Bruce got back in the sports car and drove off, I waving behind them.

"I, uh, well, I'm—"Steve stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck when it was just the two of us. I laughed once again.

"Don't be embarrassed," I insisted, grabbing his arm and removing it from his neck. "He was just being an ass." He continued to look at the ground, his face still a tomato. "Steve, seriously, don't be embarrassed, I didn't think anything of it."

Steve finally chuckled, his eyes meeting mine bashfully. "People didn't really say stuff like that back in my time, _especially _not in front of a woman."

I giggled and rolled my eyes. "They still don't, Steve, don't worry—you've just been oh-so lucky to meet Tony Stark."

We walked back to his motorcycle and he sat down, looking at me. "To Stark Tower, I guess."

I sat down behind me, extremely happy to get to wrap my arms around him once again. "Yup. We'll just have to refrain from the sex noises—I kinda need a place to stay for the next couple of months."

I could feel the heat radiating off his cheek as I kissed it.

**A/N: I love writing Tony Stark. Simply love it. **_**Almost **_**as much as I love all of you. I'm going to be pretty busy this weekend, so I don't think I'll get to post until Sunday or Monday, so I hope you all have a spectacular weekend. Go see the Avengers. Love you!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Well hi guys! I'm back, again. Sorry I couldn't post over the weekend—I had a date Friday night and a wedding all day Saturday. But I'm back, so it's all good! I don't really have anything good to say today, other than the fact that I love you, but you all know that. 22,000 hits. HOLY SHIZZBALLS, I KNOW. You're all perfect. **

Steve parked his motorcycle in what was left of the parking garage at Stark Tower and grabbed my hand when we stepped off, giving me a smile, which I returned. I liked this new side of Steve—confident, but still charming. He didn't blush every time my arm brushed against his anymore. He reached for my hand instead of the other way around. It made my stomach do silly schoolgirl flips.

We walked into the lobby, which was under construction. It had only been two days since the attack on the city, but with Stark's advanced technology, they were making incredible progress. Steve pressed the button on the elevator, which was already up-and-running again, and we stepped inside.

"Captain Rogers, Dr. Andrews, Mr. Stark is expecting you on the 79th floor. Shall I send you up?" JARVIS spoke. Steve's eyes widened, as they always did when the AI spoke. It seemed he would never get used to it.

"That be great, JARVIS, thank you," I replied, and the elevator immediately began to go up.

"It's still weird," Steve mumbled, leaning down closer to my ear.

"Not to be disrespectful, Captain Rogers, but _you _were the one who slept for seventy years," JARVIS quickly replied, sending me into a fit of giggles. Steve's face had turned pink and he said nothing in response.

The doors slid open to the 79th floor, revealing a spacious room with a fireplace and a few luxurious chairs along a clear glass wall, revealing an outside sitting area. To the right was a fully stocked bar where Tony and a woman with red hair were standing. "Ah, isn't it little Becky Andrews and her sugar daddy. Good to see you both," Tony announced, pouring himself a drink. Steve's eyebrows knitted together.

"I don't get that reference," he stated. The redheaded woman chuckled.

"He is _not _my sugar daddy," I said, turning red. I wasn't usually bothered by Tony's comments, but this one was low—it was clear he was saying it only to make Steve appear to be stupid.

"How so? He's old, you're young, and I _know _you two are—"

"We are not!" I yelled, dropping Steve's hand. He looked at me in concern while the redheaded woman put her hand on Tony's shoulder. "Don't make comments that you know Steve doesn't understand. It doesn't make you look smart, it makes you look like an ass."

Tony clucked his tongue while shaking his head. "Defensive, aren't we? Someone needs a drink." He began to pour another glass of scotch, but I shook my head, letting out a sigh.

"No, I'm fine. I'm sorry for that…" I apologized, squeezing my eyes shut. I felt a hand on my shoulder that was much too light to be Steve's. I let my eyes open and saw the redheaded woman smiling at me.

"Don't be sorry—Tony thrives on being an asshole. I'm Pepper," she said before turning to Steve. "And you must be Captain Rogers. It's a pleasure, both of you."

"Thank you, ma'am," Steve replied, shaking her hand. "This is Dr. Rebecca Andrews. She's the Medical Director at SHIELD."

Pepper turned her gaze back to me with a smile. "Yes, I've heard, Tony's told me about you. I hear you do some phenomenal work. You can heal people with just the touch of your hand?"

I nodded, suddenly embarrassed. "Uh, yes, but it's really not that special."

"She's being modest," Steve cut in, shaking his head. "She's spectacular. She saved my life. Not only does she have her gift, but she also has a degree in medicine. She's an incredible doctor. The best I've ever seen."

My jaw fell slightly and I felt my face heat up. "Steve, I—"

"Don't deny it," he said, turning his gaze to mine. "Everyone knows it's true."

I glanced over at Pepper, whose eyes were darting quickly between Steve and I, a smile forming on her face. "I bet she is rather wonderful," she said. Her eyes finally settled on me, giving me the slightest of winks, which Steve did not catch. "I hope to see you in action sometime."

I nodded, too embarrassed from this whole situation to form words. "A little tongue-tied, Becky? Gramps giving you the butterflies?" Tony shouted, walking beside Pepper and sliding an arm around her waist.

I rolled my eyes, my anger all faded away. "You don't get to call me Becky. Only the people I'm really close with can," I said with a chuckle.

Tony feigned hurt, a hand flying to his chest. "Everyone's close to Tony Stark. I _did _save the world, Becky. We both know you're secretly planning to ditch the Capsicle and come party with me."

I looked up in thought, and then shook my head. "Nope, no I'm not." Steve laughed beside me and Pepper grinned at me.

"Seeing as Tony will most likely lie to you and tell you that you both have to share a room, here are the key cards to your rooms. They're both on the 65th floor. If you need anything, just ask JARVIS or either of us. Tony and I have to go to a banquet tonight, so we won't be here, but you can order anything you like from the kitchen downstairs—just tell JARVIS and he'll work it out for you," Pepper said, handing both Steve and I a room card.

"Thank you, ma'am," Steve replied, looking over at the piece of plastic in his hand in confusion.

"I'll show you how to work it," I whispered, nearly inaudible. Steve glanced at me and gave a shy smile.

"We have to get going, but I'm sure we'll be seeing you very shortly. It was great meeting both of you," Pepper said, dragging Tony over to the elevator. They got in and just before the doors closed, Tony put his hand in-between them.

"Keep it PG—remember, JARVIS is always watching!" he yelled.

As the two disappeared, Steve shook his head. "I don't understand that reference either."

I laughed, grabbing his hand and walking over to the same elevator. "Let's just assume that from now on, every reference he makes that you don't understand is sexual."

Steve's face turned pink once again, his mouth hanging open. I giggled. "Don't be embarrassed, seriously—don't let anything he says bother you."

He shook his head, a smile forming on his face. "I can't believe it's acceptable for people to just talk about se—uh, you know, _that, _out in public."

I laughed, hitting the button labeled 65 on the elevator. "If you think _that's _bad, you're going to _hate _modern movies. Even I still get uncomfortable from the stuff they show now." Steve shuddered, sending me into another fit of giggles.

We reached our floor and stepped out, following the sides until we came upon two rooms across the hall from each other with our names on the plaques next to our own doors. I glanced at my phone and noticed that it was already 6 o'clock. Steve was looking at his key card, having no idea what to do with it, causing me to chuckle. "Here, let me help you."

I grabbed the card from him and slid it into the slot on the door, the light above it blinking green. "There you go," I said, throwing the door open. "That's all you have to do."

"Thanks," he said, stepping inside the doorframe. His smile quickly vanished, a blush creeping up on him, and he opened his mouth to speak. His eyes darted to the ground as he said, "Hey, uh, Rebecca, if y-you wanted, I was wondering if you'd maybe, uh, like to come in, and we could have dinner together? Only if you wanted to, I mean."

A smile unconsciously tore apart my face. "Yeah, that be great. Just let me go get changed." Steve's eyes finally looked up to meet mine and he smiled, giving me a nod.

I turned around and unlocked my door, walking into my new apartment for the first time. It opened up to a large kitchen on the right side with stainless-steel appliances and a black countertop. It continued into a spacious living room with a fireplace and a large television set. On the right was a hallway that led to a high-tech bathroom, with multiple different glass panels, all with different commands on them. My bedroom had blue walls with a black carpet and a sliding glass door, opening up to a deck overlooking New York City. The closet and dresser were completely stocked with a variety of clothing, all in my size. I fished through some drawers, finally finding a pair of shorts and a Stark Industries t-shirt (seeing as it was my only option). I threw my hair up in a ponytail and slipped on a pair of moccasins and crept back across the hallway, knocking on Steve's door.

He appeared a few seconds later, having changed into a long-sleeved blue shirt that showed off his impeccable physique. He was still wearing the same khaki pants he had worn this morning. "Hey," he said, looking me over. I blushed at his glance, resting on my exposed legs for a second longer than they should, but he quickly met my eyes again, that ever-present blush reappearing. "You look different." He cleared his throat, quickly recovering. "I mean, not in a bad way. Your hair—i-it's up. You look good. Not that you usually don't, I j-just meant—"

"Steve," I said with a giggle, touching his arm. "Don't worry so much. It's just me." I walked past him into the room, which was identical to mine. I heard him mumble behind me, but couldn't catch what he said. I slipped off my shoes and left them against the coffee table that sat in front of the couch, looking around.

"So, what are you hungry for?" he asked, gesturing for me to sit down on the couch. I did so, and he plopped down beside me.

"Hm. I don't know…when's the last time you had a really good piece of pizza?" I asked him. He laughed and shook his head, sucking in a breath.

"Most likely…1942. Maybe." We both burst out laughing and I rolled my eyes.

"Well, it's time to change that. JARVIS?" I asked, looking around the room.

"Yes, Dr. Andrews?" the AI responded.

"Do you think you could get me and Steve a pizza?"

"Of course, Dr. Andrews. I'll have it sent up."

"Thanks, JARVIS," I responded, stretching my arms out.

"You tired?" Steve asked, looking worried. "When's the last time you slept?"

I looked over at him, giving him an accusing glance. "When's the last time _you _slept?"

The corner of his mouth twitched up, and he looked at the TV. "I think I've had enough sleep to last a lifetime." We both laughed at his joke as I let out a yawn. "Can I ask you a question?"

I nodded my head, looking over at him. "Anything."

"If it's not too personal, what's the story behind 'Becky'?" he asked, searching my face.

I gave a melancholy smile, looking down at my hands. "It's just a nickname. Nothing really special. The people who were really close to me called me Becky—my mom, my dad, my brothers, boyfriends. I didn't like just anybody calling me it—they had to be important. But nobody's called me Becky in a really long time."

I looked back up at Steve, who nodded, deep in thought. "Do you think I could call you Becky someday?"

I smiled, liking the way the name sounded on his tongue. "I wouldn't mind if you did now."

He grinned in return. "Becky," he whispered, sounding it out, just like the time I had told him he could call me Rebecca—and, just like last time, I realized how close we were. His clear blue eyes were mere inches away from my green ones, and he offered me a shy smile as he started to move his head closer and closer to mine, our noses brushing as my eyes slid close—

"Captain Rogers, your dinner's at the door," JARVIS cut in, sending Steve and I flying away from each other. My face was as red as a tomato as Steve jumped up to the door, not even looking at me. I ran a hand through my bangs, trying to cool my face down, as Steve walked in holding a pizza box. He sat down beside me, not saying a word, putting a slice on a plate and setting it down in front of me as he got one for himself. He bit into it slowly, his face still fuchsia, as a grin slid on his face.

"This is _so _good," he said, easing the awkwardness of the moment. I leaned forward, grabbing mine, and tasted it. I smiled, nodding in agreement. We ate in semi-awkward silence. When I finished my first slice, he had already finished two.

"How do you _eat _that fast?" I said in astonishment.

Steve blushed, looking at his third piece in his hand. "After I had the procedure done…I don't know. I'm just _always _hungry."

I laughed, shaking my head at his embarrassment. "And yet, you look like that," I said, gesturing toward his torso.

He chuckled, glancing down shyly. "I guess I did get kinda lucky."

I quirked an eyebrow. "Kinda?"

We both continued to eat, Steve ending up eating five slices, me only three. "Do you wanna watch a movie? And I promise, not one that'll make you uncomfortable," I asked.

He laughed, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah sure, that sounds good. You can choose whatever you like."

I flipped through the movie selection on the TV, finally settling on the first Harry Potter—something easy and necessary to see in modern culture. I settled in beside Steve as the movie started. We watched in silence, Steve even gathering the courage to put his arm around me as we watched. I was getting sleepy, my head on his shoulder, when he finally spoke. "What did you lose?" he whispered, so quiet that I almost thought he hadn't spoken at all.

"What did I lose?" I repeated, not picking my head up.

"When you found out your apartment was gone, you were _so_ upset. What was in there that you lost?" he asked. I swear, the man could see right through me. I had tried to stay calm in that moment, and I thought I had succeeded—but Steve knew.

"My mom's wedding ring," I mumbled. "Some other things, too, like some of my dad's old stuff, but that was the biggest thing. That…I can never replace that."

Steve rubbed soothing circles with his thumb on my shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Becky," he murmured, _really _using my nickname for the first time.

"It's ok," I sighed, leaning my face into his shoulder, my eyes squeezed shut. "It wasn't even that fancy. It was real simple, a thin white-gold band with a single diamond on top."

"It meant a lot, though," he replied. "Even the littlest of things can hold meaning. I haven't seen my mom's engagement ring since I enlisted…for World War II."

I opened my eyes, meeting his sad gaze. "I'm sorry, Steve."

"Eh," he sighed, looking over at the TV screen, lost in thought. "It's alright. It's in the past. I got over it."

I nodded, resting my head back on his shoulder. I let out another yawn, my eyes sliding shut. "Steve?" I sleepily mumbled.

"Yeah?" he replied softly into my hair.

I turned so my whole body was leaning into him, my right arm draped across his chest. I could feel sleep pulling me in, but my mouth somehow continued to still spill out words. "Thanks for always being there for me," I murmured.

I felt his lips in my hair, his hand that was not around me reaching up to hold the one on his chest. "Anytime, Becky."

**A/N: slkjapdhrejhgio the fluffy goodness. I actually am really happy with how this chapter turned out, so I hope you all like it. God, I just love Steve so much, he doesn't get enough credit. He's the perfect man—just like all of you are the perfect followers! (Like how I snuck that in there?) Gah, but I'm falling asleep here at the computer, so—until next time!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hey guys! The response to the last chapter was great—you're all the best. The response to this story still blows my mind. 363 story alerts, 158 reviews. 218 of you even favorited it! It means the world to me. 28,000 hits—holy crap. I'm seriously in love with all of you, so here's another chapter for you guys—and I'm pretty sure you're going to love it.**

My eyes fluttered open and sun was streaming into the room, forcing me to squint my eyes. My head was against something warm and firm that was rising and falling every few seconds. I lifted my head up, my eyes meeting Steve's.

"Good morning," he whispered, rubbing my shoulder with his arm that was wrapped around me. "Did you sleep well?"

A sleepy smile stretched across my face, and I took my hand out of Steve's across his chest and stretched, giving him a nod. "I figured you'd be hungry, so I got that JARVIS-thingy to send up breakfast," he said, gesturing toward the coffee table in front of us. I moved to sit upright and reached for the cup of steaming coffee, taking a long sip.

"Thank you," I whispered, my voice still groggy. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep, you should've woken me up."

Steve gave me a crooked smile, picking up a piece of bacon from the plate in front of us. "You looked so peaceful, and I knew you hadn't slept in awhile. It was no problem, really."

I offered him a grateful smile as I continued to eat the food in front of us. "So what do you have lined up for today?" I asked.

Steve folded his hands, leaning on his knees. "Uh, well, I have a meeting this morning with Director Fury and the rest of the squad, just to finalize some things. You?"

I munched on a piece of bacon, thinking over my schedule. "Nothing, I think. Are you doing anything after your meeting? We could go to Central Park again or something—I'll show you around what's left of New York. I'm guessing it's pretty different than how you remembered it."

Steve nodded, offering me a smile. "I'd like that. How's three o'clock sound?"

I grinned back, rubbing my hands on my shorts. "Sounds great. I should be letting you go, you have to get ready for your meeting. Thank you again for letting me stay—I'm really sorry I fell asleep on you," I said, with a nervous chuckle.

"Don't be," he insisted, standing up and walking me to the door. "I didn't mind in the slightest," he added, a blush painting his cheeks.

I chuckled, walking out the door. "Alright, I'll see you later then." Steve waved one last time before closing the door. I walked into my room, quickly showering and changing into a pair of jean shorts and a light floral blouse.

"JARVIS?" I asked, slipping on a pair of pink flip-flops. "Do you think it'd be ok if I took a look around the building?"

"That would be fine, Dr. Andrews," the AI replied. "I believe Miss Potts is on the 79th floor—I'm sure she'd be glad to show you around."

"That sounds great, JARVIS," I replied, walking out the door and toward the elevator. "Thanks." I headed up to the 79th floor, slightly nervous that I'd be disturbing Pepper. She had seemed nice enough in the little time I had gotten to speak to her last night, and I hoped that would continue into today.

The elevator slid open, revealing Pepper sitting at one of the bar stools sipping a steaming mug and looking at a holographic screen, showing images from the battle that ravaged New York City just a few days ago. I cleared my throat, hoping not to startle her. She spun on the bar stool to face me and gave me a smile. "Dr. Andrews! It's great to see you—can I help you with something?"

"Oh, you can call me Rebecca—and actually, JARVIS told me you were up here, I was going to go look around Stark Tower, and I think he said you were free," I told her, suddenly embarrassed that I had interrupted her.

"Oh, I am!" she exclaimed, jumping off the stool and walking over to me, a smile taking over her face. "I'd love to show you around, but I want one thing in return," she said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me back over to the elevator.

I chuckled at her excitement. "Anything you'd like."

"You have to tell me _everything _about you and Captain America," she demanded as she punched the down button.

I laughed, a blush creeping up my neck as we stepped onto the elevator. "Well, nothing's really going on…yet," I began, not really knowing how to describe it. "I don't know…he's such a sweet guy, and we spend a lot of time together, but I'm not entirely sure he feels the same way about me as I do about him."

Pepper smiled as the elevator opened up to a bustling cafeteria with hundreds of employees and construction workers grabbing breakfast. "And how _do _you feel about him?" she questioned as we got in line behind a man in a pinstriped suit. Pepper picked up a travel cup of coffee, and I did the same.

"Well," I said, squeezing the cup in both my hands. My face turned pink and the smile that always appeared whenever I thought of Steve crossed my lips. "I'm…I'm crazy about him," I whispered, looking around to make sure the coast was clear. Pepper's face lit up and she let out a squeal, making me laugh.

"I knew it!" she shouted, leading me to a table in the far corner of the room. The entire wall was a window, looking out into New York City. Everywhere the eye could see, construction workers were mingling about, getting ready to start the day. "The way you two _look _at each other…and he definitely feels the same about you. I mean, did you see how he defended you last night, about you being a healer? He jumped right in, bragging about how amazing you are. He looks and talks about you like you're the only thing that matters in the world."

I let out a nervous laugh, my face turning scarlet. "He's a good man. He'd do that for anyone."

Pepper shook her finger at me, nearly spilling her coffee. "He may defend people, but not like how he talked about you. I mean, damn, I've talked to the man for ten minutes, tops, and I could already tell he was in love with you."

"I wouldn't say _that," _I said, looking out the window with a nervous smile. "He's…he's a great man."

"And an _attractive _one," Pepper continued, causing us both to laugh. "I mean, have you _seen _him? God, if only Tony would work out like he must…" I shook my head, chuckling, as she continued. "And don't tell me you don't appreciate that ass. There are very few men who are blessed with an ass as gorgeous as his."

My eyes bulged and my jaw dropped as I burst out laughing, Pepper soon following suit. "Pepper!" I shouted, shaking my head. "I can't believe you!"

"Don't even deny it!" she shouted back, wagging her finger at me. "You know you've checked it out! And you _know _you like it!"

We both laughed, my face blushing horribly, as we continued to chat about Steve and I. I told her about how he had saved me during the explosion and gave her the details on my healing power. It was nice, getting to really talk to another female for the first time in awhile. My life had become a crazy action movie lately, and it felt good to get to have some girl-time again. She showed me around the rest of Stark Tower, including the rooftop party room, different lounges, first aid center, and a variety of labs.

Right before I was supposed to meet Steve, Pepper and I went back up to my floor and she walked with me to my room. "Have any plans for the rest of today?" she asked as we reached my door.

"I'm actually meeting up with Steve in a little bit, I think we're gonna go to Central Park," I told her, fishing my key card out of my back pocket.

Pepper lifted her eyebrows suggestively, and I laughed. "Sounds romantic," she commented. "It's time to make a move, sweetheart. Steve's a shy guy—he probably wants this as badly as you, he just doesn't know how."

I sighed, running a hand through my curly hair. "I don't know. I don't wanna just assume he feels the same way about me, and then get burned—I don't think I could handle that."

Pepper put her hand on my shoulder, shaking her head. "Sweetie, please—you two were _made _for each other. I haven't seen two people so right for each other in a long time. Don't worry. Everything will turn out fine."

I gave her a smile, turning to open the door to my room. "Thanks Pep, I appreciate it. I'll see you around, ok?"

She smiled back, turning to walk back down the hallway. "I expect a full recount of tonight's activities in the morning!" she yelled over her shoulder. I shook my head, chuckling, and went to sit down in my room, waiting for Steve.

After about fifteen minutes of me wringing my hands nervously, thinking over what Pepper had said, when I heard a knock at the door, making me jump. I ran to open it, finding Steve wringing his hands as well, wearing dark washed jeans and a blue collared shirt. "Hi," he said, his brows furrowed, eyes glued to the floor. "Y-you look nice."

I smiled, closing the door behind me. "Thanks, you too. I kinda forgot I don't have a car…can you drive?" I asked, slightly worried by his shy demeanor.

"Yeah, of course. Let's go." Steve didn't reach for my hand, just began to walk down the hallway. He was breathing deeply, his hands shoved in his pockets. We went down the elevator in silence, walking over to the parking garage and sitting down on his bike. I hesitantly stretched my arms to wrap around his stomach, and he stiffened at my touch. He drove in silence, never once looking back at me.

Steve parked the bike and helped me off it, and I attempted to hold onto his hand, but he snatched it back like I was on fire, once again shoving it into his pocket. "Um, we can head this way, I guess," I mumbled, jerking my head toward the path into Central Park. He walked beside me, far enough away that there was no chance we would brush against each other.

What was his problem? I thought…I thought things we're going great. What about this morning? He was so kind to me, and now…I was planning on…

"What the hell's going on?" I demanded, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. We were surrounded by trees, people walking their dogs, kids playing in the grass—a happy setting—but Steve had completely ruined it with his strange behavior.

"What do you mean?" he asked, being betrayed by the guilty look that crossed his face.

"You know damn well what I mean," I retorted, calmly but angry. "What's wrong with you? Why are you being so distant? I thought…I thought that you and I, we were in a great place, and now? What, am I not _good enough_ for you?" I shouted, my hands starting to shake.

Steve's face fell, his hand reaching out for my arm, but I flinched away. "Becky, no, it's nothing like that—"

"Don't call me Becky, not now," I demanded. A look of pure hurt overtook his face, and I almost felt bad—almost.

"Rebecca, please, you just have to understand, I can really explain—" he insisted, but I cut him off.

"Then explain, please. Because I don't want…I don't want us to be like this. We've come too far. I care too much about you, Steve," I begged, my anger fading, the hurt beginning to settle in.

"Rebecca, no, it's…I…I care so much about you," he whispered, and I could feel the wall I had put up crumbling to the ground. "It's just—I…I lied to you, this morning, because I wanted it to be a surprise, and I didn't want to get your hopes up, but I had to go—"

"Go where?" I murmured back, taking a step closer to Steve.

He fished around in his pocket for a second, before pulling his clenched fist back out. "You were just so upset, and I wanted to make it better, so I went to your apartment, and I…" Steve shook his head, and opened his fist. There, lying in the palm of his hand, was my mother's wedding ring.

I could feel my jaw drop and all the air inside of me rushed out of my lungs in a flash. My whole body went numb, and I just stared at that little band of gold with the one diamond lying in the center.

"I didn't want to tell you, in case I couldn't find it. I tore apart what was left of your apartment, searching through every piece of debris within a half-mile radius. I had just about given up, when I saw it poking through a hole in a ripped sock lying under a piece of foundation. A real diamond in the rough," he whispered, looking glumly down at the ring. "I shouldn't have lied to you, Becky. I know that, but I had to. I'm not a liar—I never lie to anyone, ever. I felt horrible about it all day, but I had to do it."

Regaining feeling in my fingers, I reached out to his still outstretched palm and picked up the ring, turning it around in my hand. It was exactly the same—not even bent. I thought I'd never see it again—I hadn't even given myself time to truly mourn the loss of the last thing I had of my mother. And yet, here it was, sitting in my hand, thanks to the man I was falling in love with.

"I'm so sorry, Becky," he repeated, looking at the gold band in my fingers.

I looked up at his face, his eyes meeting mine, and for what seemed like the millionth time, his face was so close to mine. His clear, vivid blue eyes, so full of hurt, gazed into mine with an intensity that turned me to pudding. However, unlike the last few times, his face did not move closer to mine—he just continued to stare at me, waiting for my reaction.

I think he was utterly surprised when I snaked my arm around his neck and pulled his lips down to mine.

**A/N: I'M JUST SO HAPPY I CAN'T EVEN STAND IT. I'm actually mad at **_**myself **_**for cutting it off right there, but I had to—I couldn't resist. Gah, I'm just so happy! Go Becky! I swear, characters take on a life of their own. In my outline, I hadn't planned for a kiss in this chapter—it just sorta…happened. But I'm extremely happy with it. I hope you all have just a **_**marvelous **_**day now, and I'll talk to you all real soon(:**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: So, I'm guessing you guys liked that last chapter a little bit. Just a tad. Me too! I wasn't planning for that at all, it just kinda happened—Becky has a mind of her own. Ready to see the reaction? Let's go!**

I remember the first time I kissed my now ex-boyfriend. He had walked me up to my door at the end of our second date, and I stood there awkwardly, not quite sure what to do. He leaned in and kissed me, and I was so nervous I swore I was going to throw up in his mouth. It was exciting, new, and made my stomach do a little flip. I had felt happy and a little scared.

Kissing Steve was an entirely different experience.

For the first few seconds after I kissed him, his lips didn't move. He stayed completely still and he did not touch me. I cupped his cheek with my free hand, begging him to reciprocate—what if I was wrong? What if he didn't feel the same way about me? Could I have been that stupid? How could I have let this—

And suddenly, all trains of thought vanished, because I felt Steve ever so lightly kiss me back. It was soft and sweet and gentle and the opposite of what every girl imagined her first kiss would be like with the man she was crazy about. It wasn't crazy, passionate, and intense—it was _so much better._

Steve's lips moved gently against mine, and I felt his strong arms wrap tightly around my waist, pulling me close. It was completely thrilling and sent my stomach into a hysterical fit of butterflies. I didn't feel happy—I felt _loved. _I wasn't even scared—if Steve cared about me, what could ever hurt me?

He pulled away too quickly for my liking and pressed his forehead against mine. I kept my eyes shut and reveled in the tingling feeling on my lips, his hot breath coming out fast against my mouth. I was afraid for a split second to open my eyes and see his reaction, but I didn't care anymore. I had already crossed the biggest hurdle.

As my eyelids slid open, the first thing I saw was Steve's eyes pouring into mine. The blue orbs sparkled and shined like nothing I had ever seen. His grin was breathtaking and made his eyes crinkle at the corners. I breathed out a chuckle, smiling as wide as he.

"I guess this means you forgive me for lying," he whispered, and I laughed harder than I should—most likely due to the adrenaline pumping through my veins.

"I don't really know what came over me," I said, still smiling like an idiot. "I saw the ring, and _God,_ I just wanted to kiss you, I have for awhile actually—" I rambled, extremely nervous. Steve chuckled, his eyes getting somehow brighter.

"The feelings mutual," he said, making my heart pound even harder—was I going to have a heart attack at this rate?—"I was just nervous, and I didn't want to mess it up. I don't have much experience with this kinda thing, Becky, but I'm so crazy about you, I don't even know what to do with myself anymore, so I'm going to try as hard as I can for you."

"Steve," I breathed, my cheeks starting to hurt from my smile. I hadn't felt this happy in such a long time. It felt good to have someone care for you—and not just anyone. My Steve. "I don't care how much "experience" you have—I just want you. And don't go thinking I have the upper hand because I've dated before or anything like that—you and me, we're in this together. I just want you to care about me," I told him, sliding my hands down his chest, grabbing both of his hands.

Steve smiled, giving my fingers a squeeze. "I'm good at that."

I stood up on my toes, my mouth brushing against his. "I know you are." Steve kissed me this time, and I swore my knees were going to give out under me. He pulled away, placing a kiss on my forehead, and holding onto my hand as we continued to walk through Central Park. It was odd—we had arrived here in such bad conditions, and yet here we were—happier than I'd been in a very, very long time.

"You know, I've ever only kissed two other woman, before you," Steve said, out of the blue. He blushed and looked at the ground as he continued. "I don't know why I'm saying this. The first was when I was a teenager—my best friend Bucky dragged me to this party, and it was spin the bottle. The dame complained the whole time after I kissed her. The other was Peggy."

"You miss her, don't you?" I asked, my heart breaking for the man who held it.

"I think I always will," he said, looking at me. "But I haven't thought about her much, really. Not since I've met you. You've…you've shaken up everything I ever knew about myself," he said with a chuckle.

I smiled up at him. "In a good way?"

He grinned back, leaning down to whisper to me. "The best way possible."

To everyone passing by, we were probably disgusting. We were cheesy, romantic, cliché, but I didn't even care—I was so unbelievably overjoyed that the man I was falling in love with might just be falling in love with me, too.

"Thank you, by the way," I said, suddenly remembering why this whole afternoon had turned around in the first place. Steve looked at me quizzically. I glanced down at the ring wrapped around my pointer finger and smiled. "For getting the ring. It means more to me than you'll ever understand, and the fact that you searched for it all morning…I can't thank you enough, Steve."

He smiled, slipping his hand out of mine and wrapping it around my waist. "I think you already have. But it was no problem—it was important to you. I had to get it."

I kissed his cheek, wrapping my arms around him as we strolled through the park, getting quite a few glances as we went. Sometimes I forgot that Steve was a celebrity of sorts. He was too modest to acknowledge the fact, so he didn't try to disguise his features when we went out. A little boy, probably about four years of age, walked up to Steve at one point, offering him a wide smile. "Excuse me, mister, aren't you Captain America?"

Steve grinned, kneeling down to the child's level. "I sure am. What's that you got there?" he asked, referring to the red, white, and blue piece of cardboard in the boy's hand.

The boy smiled even wider and held it up to Steve. "It's my shield, just like yours!"

Steve looked at it, cracking a grin. "It looks incredible. Have you fought a lot of bad guys with it?"

The kid nodded, bouncing up and down on his heels. "I save the day _all _the time, just like you!"

Steve winked at the kid, ruffling his hair. "Keep it up, sport. I'll see you around." The boy waved as Steve and I walked away, a blush prominent on his face.

"He's not the only one who looks up to you, you know," I said, nodding toward a group of boys just off the path, staring admirably at Steve. "You saved everyone's lives—you're a superhero, Steve."

Steve shook his head while he waved at the boys. "I'm just a boy from Brooklyn."

"You're a whole lot more than that," I insisted as we found our way back at the entrance of the park, where Steve's bike was parked. "You're a man who loves society more than himself—and let me tell you, that's very rare in New York City."

Steve smiled and shook his head, sitting on the bike and pulling me down behind him. "Just doing what needs to be done."

I wrapped my arms around him, sighing as I leaned my head against the back of his neck. "You're a good man, Steve," I whispered as he started the bike. He twisted around, looking me in the eyes, and kissed me very softly before taking off back to Stark Tower.

"Sorry you have to be my chauffeur for the time being," I joked as we stopped at a light. I could feel Steve's laughter ripple through his body, making me grin.

"Trust me, I don't mind," he said, pulling into the garage at Stark Tower. "Riding my bike my with girl's arms around me makes for a pretty good situation."

_My girl. _How long had I been calling him "my Steve?" My Captain America. I had been saying that for days now, even though he hadn't necessarily _been_ mine. Had he been saying the same thing about me? The thought made me blush.

Steve pulled into a parking spot but made no move to get up. "Everything alright?" I asked, moving one of my hands away from his stomach and onto his arm. He turned around to face me, looking at me intensely.

"Are you sure about this? About…_us_? I mean…even though he's joking, Tony's right when he says I really am old enough to be your grandfather. And let's not forget the fact that the whole reason I look like I do is because I'm some…science experiment. I'm not _normal. _And what if something happens again where I need to go and…save the world, I guess? I don't…I don't want you to depend on me, and then for something to happen where I can't be there for you anymore. You deserve everything normal, something you can rely on. Becky, I'm falling in love with you, but I don't want to cheat you out of a good, healthy life. You deserve a whole lot more than me," he whispered, his face drawn tight in between guilt and sadness.

"Steve," I said, a smile tearing up my face. I cupped his cheek with my hand and his eyes searched my face, anxious for my response. "I'm falling in love with you, too. And I know we haven't known each other all that long, but I don't care. You're it. Do you really think that _I'm _normal? I want us to be not normal _together. _And really…what's the point of getting to depend on another man if he's not you? I've never been so sure of something in my whole life, Steve. I've been heartbroken so many times anymore, but I trust you. I _can _depend on you."

The corner of Steve's mouth twitched up in a smile and he leaned in to kiss me gently. I don't think I'd ever get over the sensation—he had a distinct taste, like mint toothpaste and clean air, if that makes sense. He lips met mine so tentatively, like he was afraid to hurt me—which he probably was. "Thank you," he whispered when he pulled back. We stood up off the bike, Steve leading me into the building by the hand.

"Captain Rogers, Dr. Andrews," JARVIS said as soon as we reached the lobby. "Mr. Stark would like to see you."

Steve rolled his eyes, giving a light chuckle. "Alright then, take us up," he replied when we got on the elevator. We shot up, Steve shaking his head.

"What is it?" I asked. He cracked a grin.

"He knows," he stated. "We're both in for it." I laughed, just imagining the billionaire's reaction. This would be interesting. I leaned my forehead onto Steve's soldier, my face turning red already, and he kissed my forehead, still chuckling.

"Well, well, well," I heard immediately as the elevator doors opened. So it begins. "If it isn't the old man and his little girlfriend. Isn't this unethical? Is it even _legal? _JARVIS, check on that, this age difference thing has gotten out of hand—"

"Tony," Steve said, holding a hand up to silence him. "Would you rather me mope around your tower for months? She's the one who's getting me out in the world, which means out of your hair."

Tony raised his eyebrows, a smirk on his lips. "Getting confident, aren't we? What happened to shy little schoolboy Steve? The one who told me that "Rebecca is the most gorgeous, stunning, down-to—"

"_Tony," _Steve seethed, turning red quickly. I chuckled at him, squeezing his hand.

"Alright, get out, you're both sickening. And remember what I said about the moans, JARVIS will tell me—"

"OKAY, we're going!" I shouted, yanking Steve back into the elevator, rolling my eyes.

"I think he's perverted enough to video tape something like that," Steve mumbled when the doors shut. "And then sell it on eBay."

I turned to him, my eyes wide, and burst out laughing. Sometimes, the things that came out of Steve's mouth…

We reached our floor and walked down the hall, chuckling. "I think it's safe to say that today has been the best day of my life so far," Steve said when we reached our doors. I beamed, breathing out a giggle.

"And why would that be?" I questioned playfully.

"Hmmm…" he sighed, his face scrunched up. "It may have something to do with the fact that this _beautiful _woman kissed me, but I could be wrong."

I laughed, amazed at this new side of Steve. He was so comfortable with me now—he had barely blushed all day. I guess knowing that the person you're falling for is, in fact, falling for you, too, could do that to anyone. Steve was truly confident for the first time since I had known him.

"Do you wanna come in?" He asked, jerking his head inside his room. I nodded, walking in and sitting down on the couch in the sitting room. Steve had picked up an envelope off the kitchen counter, peering at the letter inside.

"'You have been cordially invited to the Grand Reopening Gala of Stark Tower,'" he read aloud, scanning through the rest of the invitation. "A gala? I hate parties."

I laughed, standing up and wrapping my arms around him. "Don't worry. I'll be your date."

I think I could get used to being Captain America's girlfriend.

**A/N: Ah, lots of fluffy goodness. I know it was a bit of an overdose, but you guys deserved it. Now, we need to have a chat. In my original plan for this story, I had planned for an ending within two chapters from here. But, I have a problem—I'm far too attached to this story. So, if you guys would like, I'd continue writing it. I'd talk about Steve and Becky finally moving out of Stark Tower, their relationship evolving, Becky's friendship with Pepper, an evolving relationship with Tony and Steve, and I'd bring back in the rest of the Avengers for some surprises. Or, I could end it like I had planned in two more chapters. I could write a sequel, or I've even considered rewriting the story from Steve's perspective. It's up to you. Once upon a time, I started this story for me, but now, it's all about you. You guys mean the world to me, and I just want to make you all happy. So please, review, message me, let me know what you want. I'll take all your opinions and then decide what would be best for this story. I love you all so much. **


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Sup guys, I'm back. I found a little time to type this up, so I hope you all enjoy it. We're at 42,00 hits, just on this story guys. I used to be excited when I reached 100…I'm seriously so in love with you. We've come so far, and it means the world to me. And guess what? I'M GOING TO BE AN EDITOR OF MY SCHOOL NEWSPAPER! I had to do a writing sample and they said it was fantastic, so I got the job! Yayayayay. Thank you for inspiring me to apply, you're all the best. Love you. Oh, almost forgot! I'd like to thank Jayc Black for sending in Becky's dress design, I really appreciated it!**

I rolled over, looking at my alarm clock, and saw that it was already 10 o'clock—time to get up. I stretched my arms above my head, releasing a yawn, and grabbed my phone off the nightstand. I had one new text message from Steve—"Morning beautiful. Hope you slept well. Good luck with Pepper. I'll see you soon." I smiled, shaking my head at how giddy a text could make me. After we had started dating, I had decided to teach Steve how to work his cell phone. He still constantly came across more problems, but he had managed how to text and call a few people.

It had been two weeks since that famous day in the park where I finally told Steve how I felt about him. The only people that knew were Tony and Pepper, and somehow, both of them had managed to keep it quiet. Oh, god, Pepper…

Tony had told Pepper about Steve and I before I got the chance, and she was _certainly _not happy about that. She had rushed down to my room at seven in the morning the next day, forcing JARVIS to let her in, and forcefully woke me up. She shouted at me for about five minutes, for things like "not being a good friend" and "how could you not tell me?" After she had finally calmed down, she squealed like the happy little schoolgirl she was and had me explain to her the play-by-play of that fateful afternoon.

After nearly crying from the "the romance, the love, the BEAUTY," as she had put it, she reminded me about the upcoming gala for the reopening of Stark Tower. "So, do you have a daaaaaaaate?" she had asked, raising her eyebrows knowingly. I rolled my eyes at her and told her that I had agreed to go with Steve. She insisted she take me out to purchase a dress for the event, which is why Steve had wished me luck this morning—today I would have to brave the wrath of Pepper Potts and be her Barbie doll for the day.

I hopped in the shower and got ready, knowing that Pepper would be fifteen minutes early, like always. I walked out the door, wearing jeans and a one-shoulder tank top, when I ran into Steve, coming back from the gym. "Hey stranger," I said with a grin. His eyes snapped up to me and he gave me an easy smile back, leaning down to kiss me.

"Good morning," he said, taking the towel from his hand and wrapping it around his neck. "Excited for your day with Pepper?"

I rolled my eyes and he smirked. "God help me. I hate trying on dresses."

Steve smiled, running his hand through his sweaty hair. "It'll be worth it. You'll look stunning. Try to have some fun." I groaned, causing us both to laugh, and I leaned up to kiss him again before taking off down the hall.

I pressed the button to the elevator, just as it dinged, the doors sliding open, revealing none other than Pepper Potts herself. "Good morning, sunshine, ready to go?"

I simply nodded, rolling my eyes at her, and stepped into the elevator beside her. We went down to the lobby, Pep chatting away about party preparations. We had become extremely close in the few weeks that I had spent at Stark Tower. As much as her energetic antics tended to get on my nerves, she was the closest female friend I'd had in a very long time. I was friendly with Natasha, but she had been on a mission ever since things had settle down from Loki. Pepper was hyper, lively, nosy, and chatty, but she had become one of my best friends, and I appreciated having a person to talk to besides Steve.

"So? Are you excited?" Pepper asked as we got into her sleek sports car.

I quirked an eyebrow, knowing she was already well aware of the answer. "Oh yes. Completely thrilled."

She rolled her eyes at my sarcasm and took off for god-knows-where. "You know, you should be _thanking _me. I'm taking you to buy you a dress, for a gala that you're attending with your super-hot boyfriend, who will be wearing a tux, and will drop dead when he sees you. Please tell me what's wrong with this picture?"

We pulled into a parking garage only a few blocks away from Stark Tower. Most of New York had been cleared of the rubble and was beginning to be rebuilt. A few stores, like the one we were about to enter, were reopening. "Because…Steve and I, we're just…casual, I guess. We don't entirely enjoy parties."

"Why?" she questioned, dragging me by the hand into a fancy-looking boutique. It was cluttered by mannequins wearing long, flowy ball gowns and expensive-looking jewelry. "You'll both look sexy, you'll have a few drinks, dance, get a little close…" she raised her eyebrows suggestively and I scoffed.

"Oh, shut up. Now what do you want me to try on? The sooner we get this over with, the better," I said, picking at the material of a deep red gown beside me. Pepper walked silently around the room, surveying each and every dress, plucking a few every so often. After silently tearing apart the room, she approached me with a wide grin, a handful of dresses lying on her arm.

"There you are. I want to see each one, ok? And _smile. _This is supposed to be _fun_," she said, hanging the gowns on the hook inside a dressing room. I tried them on, one by one, and walked out to show Pepper, who scrutinized every detail. I had tried on a sleek black one (made me look too "slutty"), a low-cut pink one ("Steve would _shit himself _if you wore that"), and a high-necked green gown ("Steve deserves a little more than _that"_). I sighed, throwing my hands up at her, and throw her an exasperated look.

"You know, you _did _pick these dresses. Don't yell at me for them," I spat at her, and she shook her head.

"How many do you have left?"

I peered into the dressing room, seeing a turquoise gown still on the hanger. "Just one. The blue one." Pepper nodded, waving her hand for me to go try it on. I slipped on the dress and looked it over in the mirror. Dare I say it…I actually liked it. It was strapless with a sweetheart neckline and a row of beads just under the bust. It was one of those short-in-the-front dresses that were all over the magazines at the grocery store. I had always thought they looked silly (what was the purpose of wearing a floor-length gown then?) but as I twirled around, staring at my reflection…I thought I looked pretty. I smiled at myself and walked out past the curtain, showing the dress off to Pepper.

She stood up, circling me, her hand on her chin, deep in thought. "Well?" I asked, wary of her opinion. I really wanted her to like this one. "Do you like it?"

She stopped to look me, a serious expression on her face. "Do _you _like it?"

I picked at the hem of the skirt, a shy smile spreading across my face. "Yeah. I do, actually."

Pepper beamed, grabbing me by the forearms and twirling me around. "Yay! I _knew _you'd like something!" I laughed with her, actually enjoying the girly moment. I offered to pay for the dress, but Pep had insisted. The attendant placed the dress in a long bag and we headed back to Stark Tower in a significantly better mood than when we had arrived.

We each punched the buttons for our floors in the elevator, and I smiled over at Pepper. "Thank you so much, Pep. I actually had a really good time today. And I really like my dress."

She smirked over at me, crossing her arms. "I knew you'd enjoy yourself. And just think, Steve's just gonna looooove you in that dress."

"Everything comes back to Steve with you, doesn't it?" I joked, shaking my head at her. "I never make fun of you for putting up with Tony."

"That's because nothing is hidden with Tony and I," she stated, smirking. "If you'd like to know what he and I were doing before you and I went out—"

"Nope, I think I'm good!" I cut off, my eyes growing wide. We both laughed and I stepped out of the elevator on my floor, waving goodbye as I walked to my room. I hung the dress up in my closet, and sent a text to Steve, seeing if he was currently doing anything. There was a knock on my door shortly after.

"Hi," he said, his hands in his pockets, as he placed a chaste kiss on my lips. Mmm. I don't think I'd ever get over kissing Steve.

"Hey," I said, stepping aside to let him in. "You know, maybe I hadn't been inviting you over. Maybe I was just stalking you and really wanted to know what you had been doing at that exact moment," I said, my voice dripping in sarcasm.

Steve smirked, standing in the middle of my living room. "I hate having to type on that little phone. If I don't have to, then I don't, and I knew you were just going to ask me to come over, so I did."

I laughed, shaking my head. I walked into the kitchen, grabbing two water bottles, and plopped down on the couch, pulling Steve down beside me. "How was your day?"

He smiled, lazily putting his arm around me and pulling me close. "It was good. I went to the gym, finally tried on that tux, and had a drink with Tony. I missed you."

I quirked an eyebrow, a smile sliding across my face. While I had managed to find a friend in Pepper, it hadn't been quite as easy for Steve. I knew he liked Dr. Banner, but he was always locked up in his lab, rarely making an appearance. Steve and Tony had always butted heads—they were two entirely different people. Clint had been gone with Natasha for quite some time now, leaving Steve to take to himself when I wasn't available.

"What?" he asked, though he knew entirely well what I was questioning.

"You had a drink with Tony?" I questioned.

Steve rolled his eyes, waving his hand. "It was no big deal, really. He just bugged me about you and I for a good hour, while trying to get me drunk, even though we both know that's not possible."

I smiled, nudging his side with my elbow. "That's still _something. _You need a friend, Steve."

He grinned, leaning forward to kiss my temple. "I have you."

"While that is true, you need a guy friend. Just…someone you can be manly with—you know, be stupid, pig-headed, idiotic men," I said, being completely serious. Steve raised his eyebrows at me, and I laughed. "You know it's true. I'm going to start boring you at some point."

Steve smiled, shaking his head. "I don't think that's possible."

I rolled my eyes, playfully shoving him in the chest. "You're so cheesy. But I like this new side of you."

"What new side?" He asked, cocking his head to the side, that adorable grin still plastered on his life. I chuckled at how cute the big, tough man could be.

"This," I said, moving my finger in a circular motion towards him. "You're confident and _flirty _and just…comfortable with me, I guess. It's sweet, but I never thought you'd be like this."

"Well, I'm happiest when I'm with you," he said. "I can just be me when I'm with you. Not _Captain America _or even _Captain Rogers. _Just Steve. And, well, knowing that you returned my feelings gave me a slight confidence boost."

I smiled, leaning forward to peck him on the lips. I leaned my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes, and the one thought that had kept coming up in the back of my mind for two weeks came out of my mouth.

"Do you ever think about Peggy?"

Steve sighed, and I picked my head up. "Why do you keep asking about her?" he asked, sounding frustrated.

"I just…" I said, suddenly feeling insecure for no reason. I wasn't entirely sure why I kept asking about the famous Peggy Carter. She had been plaguing my thoughts for a while now. Every time Steve would be overly romantic towards me, I'd get a sinking feeling in my stomach, like he wished I was someone else. It wasn't that he wasn't genuine—I could tell he meant what he was saying. I just couldn't shake the feeling that maybe he wondered what his life could've been like with Peggy. Would he have been happier? Was he just settling for me?

Steve was much too good for me. I didn't deserve a man like him. From what I had learned about Peggy, she _did _deserve a man like Steve. She was brave, confident, and strong. She fought in a war during a time women didn't do much but cook and clean. I couldn't help but wonder if maybe…I wasn't cut out for Steve. "I feel like I have to compete with her. Like you'll always be comparing me to her. Like…like I don't deserve you."

Steve squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head. "Becky, please," he pleaded, sounding desperate. "Please don't think like that. There's no competition. It's you."

I closed my eyes, hating how exasperated he sounded. "I'm sorry, Steve," I whispered. I despised feeling like this. I had never been one for jealousy or insecurity, but here I was, constantly afraid of losing out to someone who wasn't even alive anymore. I had never had anything as good as Steve—everyone I had ever been close to had been ripped away from me. I didn't like to put up walls, but it was inevitable. Steve had knocked so much of that wall down, but there was still that last little bit that was hanging strong. I couldn't even imagine the pain I would go through if I lost Steve.

"Becky," he said, putting a hand on my cheek. My eyes slid open nervously and I met his gaze. "I don't want you to worry about that. You don't have to. Peggy…yes, I care a lot for Peggy, but a lot's happened since then. I didn't know Peggy all that long—just because she's my first love doesn't mean she's going to be my only. I've moved on. Yes, I'll always miss her…but my life is all about you now. You and I, we're equals. We're just trying to find our way together."

"I don't think I can lose you, Steve," I said, shaking my head at my childishness. "I've lost everyone I care about. My dad, my mom, my brothers…I can't take that kind of heartbreak again."

"Becky." He pulled away from me, turning his whole body to face me. He took my face in his hands, forcing me to look at him. "You need to have more faith in me. I'm in this, too. Do you think I'm not afraid of losing you? If we're going to do this, you have to promise to give it 100%. You can't keep blocking me out—I've completely opened myself to you, and you need to do the same for me. It's you and me."

My head went into shock, processing what Steve had said. I had told Steve to not think that I had the upper hand in our relationship, but I was cheating him out of a fair relationship. Steve _had _given me everything, and I hadn't given everything back.

"You're right," I whispered, shaking my head. "I haven't been fair to you, and I'm sorry. No more talking about Peggy. No more walls. You and me."

Steve smiled, leaning forward to kiss my forehead. "You and me."

**A/N: Sorry for this filler chapter, I just had to set everything up for the next chapter—WHICH IS THE LAST CHAPTER. Holy crap, what? How'd we get this far? I went back and read the author's notes from this whole story, and I just laughed at how we've evolved. We've all come so far. I might just cry when I finish the next chapter. It'll be sad—but don't worry, I have the sequel plotline all mapped out! (Even though we all know I won't stick to it.) At least I know how to get started. I'll start it up as soon as I finish this story, so don't worry, it won't be a long wait. Thank you so much for all your kind words about my exams and this story in general—I love you all. I'm not sure when I'll be able to post the last chapter, but I hope it'll be soon. See you!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I'm really sorry for the delay, everyone. Exams were crazy, and then this past weekend was overkill. Guys, I'm already getting emotional. Oh, god, how is this story over? I wanted to do one final count up for all of you, so you can compare from earlier author's notes—453 story alerts, 276 reviews, 286 favorite story's, over 45,000 hits, and over 12,000 visitors. I can't even put into words how much I appreciate it. I've had a blast writing this story, and I can't wait to get started on the sequel, which I'll post details about in this story when I finish the first chap. Thank you all for sticking with me, reading this story, sending your opinions, and encouraging me. I love you all, more than you'll ever understand.**

I looked in the mirror, turning from side to side, trying to get a good look at the dress from every angle. "Are you sure about all this, Pepper?"

She smiled, clasping a diamond necklace around my neck. "Sweetheart, you look stunning. Stop fidgeting. Everything will be fine." I pulled at the turquoise material of the dress, stopping just above my knees in the front, though I could feel it swishing around the back of my ankles. I smoothed it out across my stomach, taking a deep breath. Everything would be all right. My shiny silver heels made me taller than Pep, and my hair was down to the middle of my back in soft curls. I looked completely different than usual. If today had gone my way, I'd be wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, yet here I was, all done up for the Stark Gala.

"I look so…funny," I said, making faces at myself in the mirror. Pepper chuckled, digging through her closet for something as I picked up the speech I had read over a thousand times. I reread the words into the mirror, annunciating every syllable: "Ladies and gentleman, it is my honor to present this toast to a group of fantastic men and women…"

"Sweetheart, you're going to be fantastic, I know it," Pepper said, reappearing out of her vast closet with a bedazzled metallic clutch. We were in her and Tony's penthouse apartment, finishing up getting ready. In a half hour, we would have to head downstairs and make our grand appearance.

"Why are you making me do this, again?" I asked, glancing over at her as she slid one more bobby pin into place in her hair.

"Because, as Medical Director and girlfriend to Captain America, you are not _actually _part of the Avengers, but you're as close as it gets, so you're the perfect candidate. You'll be fantastic, don't worry. It's just one toast," she said, waving her hand off like it was no big deal. Pepper had probably given thousands of speeches in her lifetime—as CEO of Stark Industries, it was part of the job. I, on the other hand, was _not _one for public speaking. She had asked me a few days ago if I would be willing to give a toast thanking the Avengers for all they had done, and I, of course, had immediately said _no. _However, Pepper was a rather persuasive person, and had somehow suckered me into writing a speech that I was extremely nervous to deliver.

"Where is everyone?" she said, wringing her hands together. "We're going to be late, and we need to all arrive together. They should be here by now." At that exact moment, the elevator in the living room dinged, the doors sliding open to reveal some of the missing members of the SHIELD team. Tony, Clint, Natasha, and Bruce walked into the room, laughing at something Tony had said. Natasha smiled at me, looking stunning in a black gown, and gave me a light hug.

"Rebecca, it's good to see you," she said, looking me over. "You look stunning. And I heard about you and Steve—congratulations. You two must be so happy."

I smiled at her, still slightly amazed that the master assassin could be so kind. "Thank you so much, I appreciate it."

I looked around the room, wondering where Steve could be, just as the elevator opened again, revealing Thor and my boyfriend. He hadn't spotted me yet—he was smiling at something that Thor had said. The corner of my mouth twitched up in a smile, looking over him. He was wearing a simple tuxedo, but god, he looked so _handsome. _His hands were in his pockets as he looked around, his eyes finally meeting mine. His smile faded and his eyes grew wide, causing me to chuckle. His mouth was ajar as I walked over to him. "Hey handsome," I whispered.

He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut and reopening them. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and clasped them together. "You, uh…I…um…"

"What was that, Cap? Ice got your tongue?" Tony yelled, swaggering over to us, his hands stuffed deep into his pockets. "You usually start by telling the woman she looks good, or you won't get any _ever again. _Because then they get spiteful and make you beg for forgiveness."

"Do we really need to go back to the whole 'twelve percent' thing? Because I'll go there," Pepper said, looping her arm through Tony's.

"That was one time!" he shouted in reply, and the two giggled, while the rest of us had no idea what the "twelve percent thing" was.

I looked back over at Steve, who was still flustered. "Uh, I'm sorry…I just…I wasn't expecting you to look…so beautiful."

"Oh, so what, you thought I'd look hideous as usual?" I teased, smirking at the way his face snapped up to mine. His eyes were bulging out of their sockets, his mouth wide open.

"No, that's—no, I meant that, you know, tonight, you looked _especially _gorgeous, it just—it all came out wrong, I'm sorry…" He rushed out, mumbling towards the end.

"But you agree that I usually look hideous?" I continued, almost feeling bad for teasing him. Almost.

"Becky, no, you know I don't think that!—you always look beautiful!" He nearly shouted, stepping forward to take my hand. I smiled like an idiot, shaking my head at him.

"I was just teasing, Steve, I promise. You don't look so bad yourself," I said, trying to ease his nerves. He gave me a shy smile and leaned down to kiss me.

"All right, all right, let's go, I'm starting to get sick," Tony shouted, clapping his hands. The group made their way to the elevator, Steve and I bringing up the rear. He offered his arm out to me, grinning.

"Ready to go?"

I smiled, looping my arm through his. "I promise I'll be on my best behavior."

Steve smirked, pulling us into the large elevator with the rest of the group. "I doubt that," he whispered. He was probably right.

The elevator opened into the main lobby of Stark Tower, where a red velvet rope led the way to the doors of the (newly added) ballroom. Why did Stark Tower need a ballroom, you may ask? "For events such as this, obviously," Stark had told me, as if the question had been stupid.

Cameras were flashing everywhere and men in black suits with earpieces much like the ones we used on the helicarrier were standing about, pushing back the photographers. Tony made us stand for a few pictures, making me nervous, but Steve's hand was always on the small of my back, never abandoning its position.

We made it through the sea of paparazzi, entering the vast ballroom. Tables draped with white tablecloths were scattered around a large dance floor. A curved stage was against the front wall where a small band of violinists was playing. A long rectangular table was just in front of the stage, which Tony was leading us to. All along the table were place cards with each of our names on them. Mine was towards the middle, beside Steve.

"Are you sure I can sit here? I mean, I was just the Medical Director…" I said, picking up my card.

"You're here because you're Captain America's girlfriend, not because you were important," Tony said, rolling his eyes, as if it was obvious. Pepper smacked him, and he shot her a glare. "What? It's the truth!"

Pepper scoffed, looking over at me. "You're here because you were part of this team."

I gave her a smile and stuck my tongue out at Tony, who smirked. Many other guests were now filing into the room, all of which I had to greet like we had known each other our whole lives. I was hooked onto Steve's arm, smiling and shaking hands with hundreds of celebrities and members of SHIELD. "My cheeks are starting to hurt from smiling," I whispered as yet another executive-somethingorother walked away from us.

"You're doing fine," he mumbled back, giving me a smile. "We can go sit down now—Tony looks like he's going to make a speech."

Oh, shit.

We walk back to the table and I reached for my clutch, fishing out the creased piece of paper, the words on the inside printed on the back of my eyelids at this point. Pepper had told me that after Tony had given his opening address, I was to walk up on stage and deliver my speech.

I had obviously known I was giving the toast—the words were easy enough to understand. But the actual thought of going up there, and giving it? Was it really happening _right now? _How was it already here?

"Attention," Tony said into the microphone, tapping a fork to his glass a little too hardly, causing it too shatter. "Guess Iron Man doesn't know his own strength," he said, smirking at his cockiness. "I would welcome you all, but I did invite you here, so you should really be the one thanking me. You are all welcome for being permitted to attend this gala for the reopening of my baby, Stark Tower. Now, my assistant, Miss Pepper Potts, has told me I'm only permitted two minutes up here due to another toast, which she would not give me information on, even though this is _my _party. And seeing the way she's giving me an inappropriate hand gesture, (I mean, come on Pepper, this is supposed to be a _family _atmosphere) my two minutes are up. And remember, you're all welcome." Tony walked off stage, smirking like he had just pulled the greatest joke ever.

My hands started to shake as I stood from my chair, Steve looking at me in confusion. I walked up onto the stage, amazed that I hadn't stumbled. The microphone stared at me tauntingly as I unfolded my speech. I took a deep breath, looked around the room, and closed my mouth, too afraid to speak. My eyes met Steve, who gave me a small smile. I looked back down at my toast, and began.

"Ladies and gentleman, it is my honor to present this toast to a group of fantastic men and women who have, without sounding dramatic, saved all of humanity." I paused, my confidence wavering, but my eyes glued on Steve. "The Avengers Initiative began as a backup plan—a group of fantastic men and women that would fight off potential threats. However, when one of these threats grew to be much more than the world could handle, they grew to be so much more. I have had the pleasure to work alongside these not only talented but genuinely good heroes.

"Our team consisted of many different people in unbelievable circumstances. A World War II hero, a man frozen in ice for nearly seventy years. A 'genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist' with an ego as big as his tower. A Norse god with the ability to call down lightning. Another genius that happens to appear as a raging green monster on certain occasions. Throw in two master assassins, and you have our soldiers.

"However, soldiers are not the only members of a true team. Pepper has forced me to mention myself, the Medical Director—"

"Just as much a part of the team as the rest of them!" Pepper shouted, standing up from her seat. Dr. Banner even gave a fist pump, causing me to giggle. Steve sent me a thumbs up as a few claps were heard all around.

"Thank you," I said with a blush. "But as I was saying, it wasn't just our soldiers. Agent Maria Hill, who rose above and beyond in helping lead this team. Director Fury, who, despite his rough exterior, will do whatever it takes to accomplish what is right. However, the most important member of our team could not be here today."

When I had told Pepper where I wanted to go with this speech, she had nearly teared-up. She and Phil had been very good friends, and his death had been hard on her. Phil truly _had _been the most important part of our crew. He had been the first one to ever say the word SHIELD to me. I'll never forget the little reassuring smile he had given me during my first debriefing. He had been a role model to everyone involved with the Avengers, and we owe him everything.

"Agent Phil Coulson had been my friend. I remember the first day I had met him—for such an innocent looking guy, he had a lot of confidence in his abilities," I said with a sad chuckle, remember how he had said he would "persuade" me. "He believed so strongly in the Avengers Initiative—he was Captain America's biggest fan, a friend of Iron Man, a true leader in SHIELD. He had so selflessly given his life to try and defeat Loki that infamous day on the helicarrier," I said, watching the glistening eyes of the members of the audience. I took a deep breath, steadying my emotions, and continued. "Agent Phil Coulson _was _the Avengers Initiative. I believe it's safe to say that he touched all of our hearts in a special way. He will forever be missed. So, let's raise our glasses together for the true Avenger—Phil Coulson." I raised the champagne glass in my hand, tears threatening to bill over. The clinking of glasses was heard all around as I stepped off the stage and back to my seat. Steve immediately took my hand, leaning over to peck my cheek.

"You were fantastic," he whispered. "I know you must've been nervous. You should've told me."

I gave him a sad smile, placing my other hand on top of our conjoined ones. "It…it was something I had to do. I wanted it to be a surprise." Steve offered me another smile as the other members of the team came up and congratulated me. Pepper, who had a few tears streaming down her face, embraced me.

"You were fantastic, sweetheart," she whispered. "He would've been proud." And that was all that really mattered.

The rest of the gala continued as you would imagine a Tony Stark party would go. Dancing, liquor, Tony being an idiot—all were present. I laughed with the people at my table and actually truly did enjoy myself, despite my original fears.

As I was standing at the bar, sipping my glass of wine with Pepper, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around, finding Steve, and offered him a smile. "Hey, how are you?"

He was wringing his hands with a shy smile on his face. He didn't break eye contact, like he usually would, and his grin slowly grew until it was taking up his whole face. "Would you like to dance?"

My mouth fell open, my brow furrowing. I remember talking to Steve about Peggy for the first time—right after the big New York battle, when he woke up in the hospital wing. He had told me how he had missed his date with Peggy to go dancing. He…he had told me he didn't know how to dance—he was waiting for, as he had said it, "the right partner."

And here he was, asking me to dance.

"Are you sure?" I asked, even though I was already shoving my champagne glass into Pepper's hands.

The corner of Steve's mouth quirked up and he nodded. "Positive."

An infectious grin took over my face, and I stepped up to take his outstretched hand. He led me over to the middle of the dance floor while the band started to play something slow. Steve looked at me sheepishly, making a silly embarrassed face. I chuckled, grabbing his one hand and placing it on my waist. "It's not that hard, I promise. I'll be right here." I picked up his other hand in my own and wrapped my free arm around his neck. Our faces were mere inches apart, our noses nearly touching. I chuckled at his thrilled smile, and tilted my head back.

"You're a fantastic dancer," I said as we swayed back and forth. "A natural, really."

He laughed, shaking his head. "It was worth the wait."

My face fell slightly serious, and I searched his face. "Are you sure? About…me?"

Steve quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," I said, breathing out a nervous sigh. "Am I the 'right partner?'"

He smiled at my use of his own words and looked around the room. "You know, my life's been…a little rough. I woke up in this new world and realized that everyone I had ever loved was gone. Bucky, Peggy, everyone. And then…" he said, finally meeting my gaze again. His warm smile made my nervousness flew away, and I felt my confidence coming back. "Then I met you. And…I don't know. I feel like this was supposed to live in this world. And…I, uh—" Steve stuttered, suddenly embarrassed again—like he used to be embarrassed, before we were a couple. His face turned scarlet, and he wouldn't meet my eyes. I squeezed his hand in mine and he looked up at my through his lashes; so shy and innocent it nearly broke my heart. "I love you, Becky. So yes, you're the 'right partner.'"

I nearly squealed. I smiled like a little girl on Christmas. Steve had told me once that he was falling for me, but he had never said those three little words, exactly. Knowing that Steve loved me…that was a game changer. I felt that last little piece of the wall I built up crumble down, and I smiled at him. "I love you, too, Steve."

His eyes shot up to meet mine, fully, and he smiled so big I thought his face would split in half. I giggled as he leaned down to kiss me as the song ended and I wrapped both arms around his neck. A future with Steve—that looked pretty good. I didn't care how many times my heart had been broken, or the fact that he had the full potential to snap my heart like a twig now. I had Steve _now—_and for as long as we both wanted to. For the first time, loving someone was completely worth it.

* * *

Looking back on that day, I smile, giving Steve's hand a squeeze. I look up at him, sitting next to me on the couch, and I chuckle at his grin. "That was one of the best days of my life," I say.

Steve smiles back, leaning forward to bump my nose with his. "Me too. I had been so nervous—I didn't know if you felt the same way. I had been thinking about telling you for days, and I had planned to finally say it, but it almost didn't come out of my mouth. Then, somehow, it literally just flew out—and then it was out there."

I chuckled, shaking my head at him. "You didn't think I'd feel the same way?"

He shrugged, pulling me closer to him. "I had hoped so, but I wasn't positive. No one ever is. I just knew that I loved you."

I smile, bumping my shoulder with his. "And that I was the 'right partner.'"

Steve laughed, rolling his eyes at me. "Yes. You always were."

**A/N: I'M ACTUALLY CRYING. Real tears. God. It's really over. I'd once again like to thank you all for taking me on this crazy emotional journey. This has been one of the most inspiration and eye-opening experiences of my entire life. It's been fantastic. I love you all so so much. I'll get started on the sequel pretty soon, and I'll let you all know about it. I love you guys. So much. Thank you for everything.**


	15. Sequel is up!

**Hey guys! All right, the first chapter of the sequel is up—it's called "An Old Fashioned Notion" and it's going to be great! I'm so excited for it. So you should all head over there, read the first chapter, and let me know what you think. I hope it's up to your standards—I promise, it's gonna be good. I'm so excited for it. Love you all, and can't wait to start another story with all of you!**


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